


Waking Up Normal

by DelilahAzure



Series: Waking Up Normal [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, and giving some characters the development they deserve, i'm basically fixing the lacklustre second half of the series, what if psychic duelists were actually brought up after the dark signer arc, what if the issue of satellite unification was actually dealt with
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-08-12 18:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 90
Words: 335,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7944856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahAzure/pseuds/DelilahAzure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waking up normal is something that most people want. Yuuka Sasaki is no exception. However, an ancient war five thousand years in the making and a call to revolution make normality seem like a fleeting dream. After all, some demons never truly lie dormant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Changing Tides - ACT I START

ACT I : CHANGE

Of course he lied. It's a marvel that I believe anything that comes out of his mouth nowadays. _We'll get tickets to Fortune Cup,_ he said, _we'll go, just us two. It will be nice for a change._ Instead of that, I'm being a third-wheel to my friends. _It will be nice for a change._ This is becoming the norm, and I'm sick of it. At least I'm in an aisle seat though. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Shinji beside me.

"Oi Yuuka, why do you keep looking over there?" he asked in a lowered voice. He gestures to his left with a slightly worried expression. Damn, I was hoping he hadn't noticed. I glance in that direction again. They haven't noticed me yet.

"It's my brother."

"Wait? Your actual brother!" Shinji tries to keep his lowered tone. I glance over again. Shit, barely missed eye contact. I really need to stop doing that. Shinji shrugs his shoulders and looks at me pointedly.

"As long as he doesn't notice me, we're fine. Just don't say my name loudly, don't look over at him too often and we should okay. He's never been very observant." I shift my attention to my nails. I can feel my heart racing. I try to keep my calm exterior as always. I haven't seen my brother in nearly two years and I'd like to keep it that way. He reminds me of everything I want to forget. I snap myself out of that downward spiral of thoughts as I notice Rex Godwin appear on the central arena. He sits down a couple of meters behind a podium. The mere sight of that man made me feel uneasy.

"Everybody listen! The Duel of the Fortune Cup is finally starting!" The voice of the Master of Ceremonies blasted over the sound system. I roll my eyes and sit up straight. Red Daemon's Dragon bursts into the arena, making laps around the stadium. I start fidgeting, here's the part I'm not looking forward to. "Red Daemon's Dragon has appeared!". A rumbling sound thunders from the pits, and there's that familiar sense of dread. Jack Atlas himself makes his way into stadium, he uses the barriers around the track to get up onto the central arena. Red Daemon's follows him and kneels on a pedestal. The pedestal almost makes me laugh when I realise the way this city treats Jack Atlas. Jack gets off his D-Wheel, takes off his helmet and points towards the sky.

"There's only one King, and it's me! Who's going to duel me?" he proclaims. I resist the urge to groan out loud. While Jack has always been on the 'hammy-er' side of things, he's only gotten worse since he became King. He really has changed, displaying nothing more than arrogance. I feel a hand on my arm, I look over to see Reika reaching over Shinji. She sends me a worried tilt of the head, I just put on a fake smile. She retracts her arm and shrugs her shoulder at Shinji. She insists on doing this every time Jack Atlas is brought up. While I'm grateful that she cares that much, I'm starting to feel like I'm being smothered.

"The duelists who received the lucky tickets for a chance at a dream match against the King are here!" The MC's voice booms around the stadium. Hidden doors in the floor of the arena open up, revealing the participants coming up to the surface. I quickly scan them. I freeze when I spot a familiar mop of black hair. I sit forward and watch the screens giving close-ups of all the contestants. When the camera finally stops on his face, everything around me freezes. The crowd becomes deathly silent within a millisecond. I can hardly believe it's him. Yusei Fudo. The sharp long marker on his face, while not there before, causes this silence. I brace myself for the onslaught that would become the crowd's anger. Murmurs all around me. It's almost too much to bear. I cradle my face with my hands in hopes of preventing others from noticing my own.

"He probably stole someone's invitation." I almost turn around to tell him that he didn't know him like that, but then people would question me. I shrivel up into my seat. Shinji is on edge; he keeps glancing at me. I put up my left hand to him, a plea to leave me alone, while still covering my own marker. Everything is closing in on me, it's hard to breathe, the sheer amount of people in the stadium causing a stifling humidity.

"Everyone!" The murmurs come to a sudden halt. "My name is Bommer." I look up to see that one of the contestants has taken the MC's mic, a bold move I must admit. "As one of the duelists standing here, I want to ask what you're seeing." He pauses and points directly at Yusei. At this, I lean forward in my seat. "This man is a duelist chosen in the same manner as the rest of us! Whether you have a marker or not, as long as you have cards, we're all the same. As long as you're standing her, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're going to stare at him through stupid rose-coloured glasses, then your words do nothing but incite violence!".

The stadium came at a standstill as Bommer turns his back to audience and walks. The audience could only react one of two ways, and I fear it would be the worse of those two. All at once, a sharp slow applause fills the stadium. Rex Godwin leads the applause that gradually fills the stadium.

"Thank you for your heartfelt words, Bommer." Godwin declares from his podium, "What I have prepared here in this arena is exactly what you said. I am Rex Godwin, the person in charge of Neo Domino City's Public Maintenance Department. To thank everyone for their public maintenance, I organised this great duel festival. Difference in status nor wealth do not matter for duelists. This is true equality." At this, the crowd erupts into a great cheer. It's all lies. _True equality._ There is no such thing. As soon as I leave this stadium, I will be treated with the same disdain as when I entered. I am a duelist, where is my equality? I lost it the second that the Zero Reverse tore this city apart. I scoff, I'm half tempted to leave right now. I don't, Yusei will need my support since this crowd is already against him. The MC announces the matchups for the first round. At a glance, I figure out that it is unlikely that Yusei is going first, which is somewhat of a relief.

"Right, I'm going to go get a coffee. I'll be back whenever Yusei or Izayoi are dueling." Avoiding looking back at Shinji or Reika, I get up and head towards the foyer area in search of a stand that sells coffee. The man at the stall glances at my mark and scowls at me. Without a word, I flash my ID card at him, proving I am, indeed, a citizen of Neo Domino City. He scoffs and turns his back to me, preparing the coffee and cursing about Satellites. I would be angry, but when you have to deal with this every day of your life, you learn to say nothing and move on. This is status quo, binding and unchanging. The server barely looks at me as I pay for my coffee. I sigh as I look at a screen and realise that Yusei isn't going first. I scan the empty foyer in search of a seat. I recognise a lone figure on a faraway bench. His aura is very easy to recognise. I walk towards him, not sure of the reaction I'll get.

"Oi Kenta!" I call. I take a sip of my coffee. His face scrunches up slightly. Clearly he's not happy to see me, his aura backs this up, though Kenta has never been happy to see me. I sit next to him and he rolls his eyes.

"Do you want me to call Takumi? Since he's really the one you want to talk to." He takes a sip from his coffee. He glances at my own cup, grimacing at that fact it is completely black.

"No need to. Besides, we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on." I raise my eyebrows at him, hoping he catches my drift. His eyes widen slightly; he tries to regain his composure.

"So, you've accepted Takumi's offer?"

"Not yet. I have a lot to consider." For some reason, Yusei's face pops into my head. I try to ward it off. "Something like that would completely change our lives."

"It would, but sooner or later, Sasaki, it's going to happen. Revolution. It's inevitable, this city can no longer cope with the way it is now. Something needs to change." He looks me straight in the eye. I get a shiver down my spine. He's reading my aura. "You're scared about something, aren't you?"

"Yes," I sigh. "You know that competitor with the mark?" He nods. "He's an old childhood friend, and I'm scared of how he will react seeing me again." I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. I hear Kenta shift beside me.

He lowers his head and covers his mouth with his hand, "Do you want me to calm you down?"

I shake my head, "No, we'll need it when Izayoi summons that dragon of hers. Besides, that'll be a waste of your energy."

"Are you still certain that she's the Black Rose Witch?" Kenta stares into his coffee, deep in thought. "If she is who you say she is; we'll be in for a rough time. I can't imagine what's like for you, being a Satellite _and_ a psychic."

"Is that some sympathy Kenta? Are you sure you're okay? No knocks on the head or anything?" I send an over-exaggerated worried expression towards him. He scoffs light-heartedly and exaggerates the rolling of his eyes.

"I'm just saying that you probably shouldn't be there when Izayoi duels. Your powers might flare up when hers do. Don't get your hopes up about me, I'm only putting up with you because Takumi likes you," he downs the last of his coffee and stands up. "Think about that offer Sasaki. You know that a revolution is coming. If that friend of yours does well here, it could cause exactly that." He begins to walk away from me, I stare at his back as he does. That comment about Yusei may very well come true, if he beats Jack that is.

"There is a winner! Bommer is going to the second round!" I glance behind me at the screen. A sense of dread fills me as Yusei's face flashes into my head once more. I fear that Yusei's appearance will bring back demons from my past, memories I'd rather forget. I sigh as I stand up and walk back into the arena. Having both Yusei and Kaoru reappearing in the same day is overwhelming. A part of me wants to walk away, denying my past and my demons. I know this can't happen, I have to stay strong. I have overcome much worse, and will face much worse than this. All I know is that there is a strong feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that the "worse" I spoke of is not far off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter of Waking Up Normal! I hope you enjoyed it. There isn't a whole lot to go off in the series for life in Neo Domino City while marked before the 6 month time skip. So I'll be using a lot of my own headcanons here. This includes Yuuka's ID card. Since those who are marked aren't allowed into the City and are forced to live in the Outskirts, like the Daimon Area. Yuuka has an ID card proving she is a proper resident of Neo Domino, it's not clear yet why, but you'll learn in time. I'll make note of my own headcanons whenever they appear. I'll see you in the next chapter!


	2. The Dragon of Destruction

I take my seat beside Shinji. He's so engrossed in his conversation with Reika, that he doesn't notice me. A small part of me wonders how much they would be better off if I wasn't always the third wheel. They seem so happy when they're not dragging me around like a stray puppy, or reaching out when I get struck in a downward spiral of self-loathing. Reika's eyes always light up when she talks to Shinji about her job, then she moves a strand of hair out of her eyes. Oh shit, Reika's eyes caught my own.

"Oh Yuuka! You're back!" She offers me a smile.

"Well you're looking a bit better." Shinji tries to lighten up my mood.

"I did run into Kenta in the lobby."

"Oh! Kenta's the one from-"

"Our hero makes his entrance!" The MC's voice interrupts our conversation, "The blood and iron knight of justice! The veteran hero! What kind of duel will he show us today? Jill deLauncebeaux!" At this, the duelist rises up into the arena. Clad almost completely in gold armour, he looks like someone who takes the whole roleplaying thing a bit _too_ seriously. Or maybe he's just old-fashioned, following the trends of the world before Riding Duels.

Jill raises his sword to the heavens and proclaims, "I swear on this sword! As the descendant of the ancient knights, I will conquer this duel!" Never mind, he's just crazy. However, the crowd cheers. I don't, he's far too pretentious for my liking.

"His opponent in this duel makes her entrance! Along with battle experience and skill, the beautiful woman also brings many mysteries! Will we witness the birth of a new prodigy today? Aki Izayoi!" There she is. Her steely gaze is a far cry from the young girl in Duel Academy, alone and afraid of herself. In fact, she barely resembles her former self, though I suppose two years is an awful lot of time. Though something tells me that it is just a facade.

"Even if you're a girl, I will show you no mercy! Show me the duel of a knight! Duel!" Nice to know that Jill isn't as sexist as he first appears. "My turn! I draw! I summon Masked Knight LV3 (ATK:1500)!" A small silver and gold knight appears on the field. Of course he has a Knight-themed deck, why did I expect anything less from a guy who goes around dressed in armour? "Its monster effect activates! Persona Blast! You take 400 points of damage!" Izayoi's life points drop to 3600 immediately and she doesn't flinch in the slightest. "Then I activate a spell card! Level Up! I send Masked Knight LV3 to the graveyard to Special Summon Masked Knight LV5!" Another silver and gold knight appears on the field, what a surprise. "Masked Knight LV5's monster effect! Persona Twin Blast! You take 1000 points of damage! I set one card and end my turn." I keep staring at Izayoi, even as her life points drop to 2600, she hasn't moved or said a word. I know she's got this whole stoic thing going on, but a facial expression or two would be nice.

"Due to an overwhelming attack, Izayoi has taken 1400 points of damage before her turn has even started!" The MC's voice pounds out over the speakers, mimicking the audience's reaction. Then, I realise that Izayoi must have drawn a good hand for her to remain this calm.

"I bet the evolving Knight strikes fear to your very bones!" Jill declares, making a jab at Izayoi. However, she remains as stone-faced as normal. "You have nothing to say? You're a spooky girl." You don't know the half of it. When Izayoi reaches the height of her powers, she's _spooky_ alright.

"I draw." Izayoi's first words of the match, how original. "I summon Wall of Ivy in defence position (DEF:1200). Then from my hand, I activate the spell card Seed of Deception. It lets me summon a Level 2 or below Plant-type monster. I Special Summon the Level 1 Tuner Monster Copy Plant in defence position (DEF:0). Copy Plant's monster effect. Copy Plant becomes the same Level as a monster on your field. It copied the Level of Masked Knight LV5." A level 7 Synchro Monster. This is only going to end badly for Jill. Though I'm surprised she's calling out her ace this quickly.

"A Synchro Summon!" Jill shouts, surprised. I'm about to feel sorry for what's about to happen to him, but then I don't.

"Level 5 Copy Plant Tunes Level 2 Wall of Ivy." Okay now, I'm slightly terrified of what the crowd's reaction will be. I have a _small_ feeling that they won't take Izayoi's true identity well. "Chilling flames engulfs the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon (ATK:2400)!" The summoning of the dragon whips up fierce winds in the stadium, dark petals fly out all over. I automatically shield my face in fear. All around me I can hear murmurs, my eyes are squeezed shut tightly and my hands subconsciously move over my ears. However, my eyes open as I hear Black Rose Dragon's roar pierce the air in the stadium.

"Witch, you already revealed your true identity?" Jill howls at Izayoi. At this, the crowd's murmurs heighten. All I can hear is the word 'witch' over and over. In that moment, the image of my brother kneeling on the ground, cradling his arm appears in my mind. His face, terrified, strikes a chord deep inside me. I've shrivelled up into my chair again, my hands are pressed hard against my ear. Everything sounds so far away. Suddenly, I feel a hand on top of my head. A part of me expects to turn around and see Kaoru. Instead, Shinji sends me a look of pity. That soft look in his eyes calms me down a bit. I bit my lip and nod at him.

"Witch! No matter what ace you pull out of your sleeve, my steel heart will not skip a beat! What's with that look in your eyes?" Honestly, now I'm sick of _Sir_ Jill. We're not witches, this isn't the 17th Century.

"Black Rose Dragon's monster effect activates. When Black Rose Dragon is Special Summoned, all cards on the field are destroyed." At this moment in time, I honestly admire Izayoi. I don't know she's able to stay so steadfast in the face of such hatred and disgust. I now realise that's probably Izayoi started the match so stoically.

"What?" Jill cries out.

"Black Rose Gale!" Izayoi calls out. As she does this, a fierce wind is whipped up once again, creating a tornado around Black Rose Dragon, scattering dark-coloured petals everywhere. Frightened gasps come from the crowd. At this moment in time, I glance over at my brother. He remains stone-faced, I'm shocked and the slightest bit relieved. At this, the wind settles.

"So, this is the power of the witch..." Jill glares at Izayoi. His eyes are so cold and filled with hatred.

"I set one card. Then... The Field Spell Black Garden." Vines shoot up from behind Izayoi, they spread out across the entire field, creating a dome.

"This is? A garden where evil creatures hide?" Jill questions. Okay, that's it. I've had enough of the pompous asshole knight. I hope Izayoi duels him into the ground.

"I end my turn." Izayoi declares. She seems oblivious to the crowd's fear of her, as more frightened gasps fill the stadium.

"Thank you for your support! But there's no need to worry!" I swear if Izayoi doesn't beat this guy soon, I'm going to beat him myself. "My turn! I draw! From my hand, I activate the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive. Due to this, I can add on Warrior-type monster in my graveyard to my hand! Masked Knight LV3 (ATK:1500), return to me! Warriors that have pride are immortal!" As Masked Knight reappears, vines come up from the ground and constrict the monster. "Masked Knight!" he cries.

"As long as Black Garden is face up, a monster's attack points are halved, and a Rose Token (ATK:800) is automatically summoned to the opponent's field in Attack Position. You're inside the Black Garden. The hellish garden feeds on monsters' lives to make the flowers bloom." I must admit, Izayoi has a clever strategy. Getting rid of Black Rose Dragon meant no penalty on her from Black Garden's effects. Then, the Rose Token lessen the damage in Black Rose Dragon's absence. Izayoi is very good duelist, she'll easily win this duel.

"Persona Blast!" Jill calls out as he activates his monster's effect. Izayoi's life points drop from 2600 to 2200. "How's that!" He roars at Izayoi. Jill thinks he's close to winning, smug from the satisfaction of having all of his life points.

"I activate the trap card Doppelganger. When I take damage from a monster effect, you take the same amount of damage." Izayoi calls out. Never mind, Jill's life points are now 3600.

"Whoa! Though he was unharmed until now, Jill's life points have finally decreased!" Finally, for once I agree with the MC. Jill has taken noticeable damage from the effect. The crowd begins to heckle Izayoi. She remains fully poised, like nothing is effecting her.

"So the witch uses her powers to hurt her opponent for real." Jill points directly at Izayoi, "Who are you?"

"I'm different than all of you." Amazing comeback, ten of ten. I wish I was that smooth. Though, _all_ is a very broad term. Myself and Izayoi have more in common than she knows.

"Witch, what are you scheming to do?" The real answer Jill, she's going to kick your ass and look flawless while doing it. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

"I draw! I activate the Equip Spell Mark of the Rose. With this, I take control of one of your monsters. Masked Knight LV3 comes to me." Masked Knight goes to Izayoi's side of the field, kneels in front of her and kisses her hand. See what I mean? She's too smooth. Apparently, the crowd had a different reaction. They all murmur, clearly in shock. Honestly, the crowd's reaction to Izayoi no longer affects me. I'm just enjoying Izayoi in all her splendour. "Feel the pain of the sword of betrayal. Masked Knight LV3 attacks you directly!"

Jill manages to block with attack with his duel disk as his life points drop to 2850. "You switched a monster's allegiance. You really are a witch. You fight in an evil way." Nah, this type of card is pretty standard if you ask me, I have no idea what he's talking about.

"I equip the Equip Spell Vengeful Servant on Masked Knight LV3. With this card, when control of the equipped monster changes, that player takes damage equal to the monster's original attack points." Wow, that is such a good combo! Jill will be getting close to losing soon.

"What?" Jill cries out.

"It's the end phase. Control of Masked Knight reverts back to you. Taste the attack of the betrayer!" Jill's life points drop to 1350.

"Izayoi is terrifying!" No shit Sherlock, this MC I swear. "Due to the Mark of the Rose and Vengeful Servant combo, the knight took a lot of damage!"

"My fight is only beginning." No, it's ending. "I activate the trap card Level Change! This card activates during the opponent's turn's End Phase. I send a LV monster on my field to the graveyard. This allows me to Special Summon a monster from my graveyard without having to fulfil its summoning requirements! Resurrect, Masked Knight LV5 (ATK:2300)!"

"Well done! The Special Summon broke her continuous combo!" Okay, that was admittedly, a good move on his part.

"Black Garden activates." Izayoi calls out as Masked Knight LV5's attack points drop to 1150. "Next, Rose Token is special summoned, I end my turn."

"Witch! Even if you hide in your sinister garden, it's no use! The sword of justice will pursue you no matter where you are!" I don't think I can stand much more of this. "I draw! At this moment, Masked Knight LV5 evolves to LV7!"

"That's right! Due to its monster effect, Masked Knight LV5 levels up to LV7 during the standby phase!" The MC's obnoxious voice booms out of the sound system once more.

"Come, Masked Knight LV7 (ATK: 2900)!" Great, another Knight-themed monster, hooray. The crowd is cheering, not sure why to be honest. Oh right, this city is full of bigots.

"Black Garden activates" Izayoi calls out as Masked Knight LV7's attack points drop to 1450. "Another Rose Token is special summoned."

"Those eyes. I know what you're thinking. When this monster's effect activates, you intend to counterattack with Doppelganger. However, I have a plan!" Of course you do. "I equip the Equip Spell Glory Shield on Masked Knight LV7! Battle! Masked Knight LV7 attacks Rose Token! Persona Big Slash!" Izayoi's life points drop to 1550.

"He did it! Masked Knight's attack finally struck Izayoi! Rose Token cannot be destroyed in battle, but she still takes damage!" As the MC announces this, the crowd is cheering.

"Due to the effect of Glory Shield, destroy Doppelganger! Now there's nothing you can do. Take this! Persona Big Blast!" Izayoi takes another attack, lowering her life points to 50.

"She has 50 life points remaining! Izayoi survived by the skin of her teeth! But since she only has three remaining rose tokens on her field, she can't do anything to oppose him!" The crowd is still cheering. I wouldn't put Izayoi in a corner just yet.

"You're enjoying this a lot more than I thought you would." Shinji chuckles. Then, I realise that I have a small grin on my face.

"What can I say? She hasn't lost yet, and she's not going to."

"Oh you really think so? She seems pretty cornered to me."

"Just watch, she has something up her sleeve. I can feel it."

"Witch, this is your last turn! You have nowhere to escape!" Jill declares.

"Yes. It will be over this turn." I was right, Izayoi is cleverer than people give her credit for.

"What?" Jill cries out in surprise.

"I draw. The Field Spell Black Garden's effect." The vines surrounding the field begin to rot and turn brown, they begin to fall. "I destroy this card and all Plant-type monsters on the field. I can Special Summon a monster from the graveyard that has the same number of attack points as the total number of attack points of the destroyed monsters."

"What?" Jill has finally caught onto her plan.

"If she destroys the three Rose Tokens that have 800 attack points each, the total is 2400! That means the monster she's summoning will definitely be..." Here we go again. Purple flames fan out in a tornado shape. The crowd screams in fear of what will happen.

"I summon Black Rose Dragon!"

"There it is! Black Rose Dragon! But she paid a big price for it! Since Black Garden's curse is gone, Masked Knight LV7's attack points return to 2900!"

"Why did you get rid of Black Garden? You willingly gave up victory! Witch, have you lost your mind due to the pressure?" Jill honestly thinks that Izayoi has no plan, poor guy.

"Black Rose Dragon's monster effect. By removing a Plant-type monster in my graveyard, your monster's ATK points become 0. Rose Restriction." With that, Masked Knight's ATK points become 0.

At this, Jill begins to panic, knowing he is going to lose. "0 ATK points? even if I activate Martyr Flag and double its ATK points, it'll still be 0!" The crowd has become silent; the end is near.

"Battle. To the knight who falsely claims justice, you will take my flame of cold sorrow." Oh man, I'm hyped.

"Don't do it!" Jill pleads for mercy, but when you call a psychic 'witch' one too many times, you probably deserve it.

"Black Rose Flare!" At Aki's call, purple flames rush towards Jill.

"This is the same as a direct attack!" The crowd is horrified, screaming as Jill takes the attack. He falls on his back as his life points hit 0. The crowd is completely still before they break out into a frenzy. They call Aki a 'witch'. "Capture the witch!" they cry, "Leave the city!" This is the true power of a psychic. Striking fear into the heart of people. Will we ever be anything more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished the first duel of the series! The Fortune Cup is going to be pretty much duel after duel from here on out, I'll try keep things interesting. But after that, the duels are going to be more spread out, with a lot more story and relationship development. This chapter was actually very awkward to write because my name is really close to Jill's. In this chapter, we get a hint of what happened between Yuuka and her brother. We'll find out about that soon. Hope you enjoyed it! I'll see you next time!


	3. The Need for Speed

"After the tragedy of the second duel." I don't know about that, MC, it wasn't a tragedy to me, that so-called 'Knight' got what he deserved, "we're in anticipation for the third duel!"

The crowd seems to have gradually calmed down after Aki left the stage. This city is fickle. It screams bloody murder at something it doesn't like. Then, it will say there was never a problem, that a utopian city like this would never suffer from such a problem. It is all lies. This city prides itself on being a utopian city that is equal opportunity for all. Revolution. Kenta's words pop into my head. It is the only way that this city will ever change. It may even become a place where Satellites and psychics no longer have to hide. That cynical part of me scoffs at this idea, saying that such a thing cannot exist. Nevertheless, it is something I will chase until I'm old and grey.

"Everybody listen! This is what you've all been waiting for! A Riding Duel!" Could that mean? "The first D-Wheeler selected to participate in the Fortune Cup is Yusei Fudo!" I smile as Yusei's D-Wheel jumps out from the pits. He stops at the starting point of the course. As expected, the crowd begins to heckle him. I don't listen to the words, but I feel their impact. An endless drone of sharp and bitter words.

"His opponent D-Wheeler is Shira, the resurrected grim reaper!" The so-called 'Shira' jumps out of the pits on the D-Wheel accompanied by a flourish of purple flames. He drives around the track and stops next to Yusei. Naturally, given the reaction to Yusei, the crowd cheers for Shira to beat Yusei.

"It's finally time for the duel! Set on the Field Spell Speed World! Speed World has taken over the field! Now spells that aren't Speed spells can't be activated! There's the start signal of destiny with the countdown! It's time for the Riding Duel! Acceleration!" As the countdown reaches 0, both of the D-Wheels set off. Shira throws off his cape as they drive forward. I feel like this is meant to be a big reveal, but I have no idea who the person driving the D-Wheel is.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Mukuro Enjo has arrived!" This 'Mukuro' person proclaims. Mukuro Enjo, I'm pretty sure he dueled Jack Atlas a while ago. Not that I follow Jack in any way, shape or form, but his name got thrown around a bunch.

"This is a surprise! Underneath the hood is the fiery D-Wheeler who's willing to risk his life to defeat the King! Mukuro Enjo!" Given the fact that Mukuro is definitely not Shira, I'd say this 'match' is about to end.

"I'm your opponent. I'll show you what a Riding Duel is really about!" Mukuro proclaims once more. Yusei just stares back at him. "What's wrong, Yusei? If you're also a D-Wheeler, then accept Mukuro Enjo's challenge!" Well, Yusei wouldn't be the one allowing you to duel, Godwin would since you weren't invited to this tournament.

"Hm, fine. I'll be your opponent!" What did I just say?

"This is... Umm..." Here we go, Godwin's about to cancel the match. "The organizer has given permission! The duel continues!" Okay, that's it. Godwin is totally corrupt and up to something. I mean, not that I've ever thought any different, I just feel the need to affirm that.

"I go first! I draw! From my hand, I summon Burning Skullhead (ATK:1000)! I set three cards and end my turn!" A _fiery_ D-Wheeler uses a monster called _Burning_ Skullhead. Professional duelists are honestly a bunch of weirdos. I mean, who else themes their deck around their personality? Someone please tell them to get a life. Just use a deck you like, not because it matches your aesthetic or whatever.

"My turn!" Yusei proclaims as both of their Speed Counters become 1. "I summon Speed Warrior (ATK:900)!" Oh I remember Speed Warrior, and now I'm getting nostalgic.

"Yusei has immediately gone on the offensive!" He summoned a monster, that's pretty standard. Stop making it more dramatic than it actually is. "Due to Speed Warrior's monster effect, its attack points are doubled during the Battle Phase of the turn in which it was summoned(ATK:900-1800)!"

"Battle!"

"There goes Speed Warrior" I really worry about that MC sometimes. He's meant to give us _insightful_ commentary, right now, he's not really doing that.

"I activate the trap Zero Guard! By making the attack points of one monster on my field equal 0, it cannot be destroyed in battle this turn(ATK:1000-0)!" Mukuro must have a plan if he favours taking more damage over losing his monster. That, or he's crazy.

"Sonic Edge!" Speed Warrior attacks and destroys Burning Skullhead, causing Mukuro's life points to drop to 2200.

"Mukuro Enjo has already taken 1800 points of damage!"

"I activate the trap Doom Accelerator! When I take battle damage, I gain one Speed Counter for every 500 points of damage!" Mukuro's Speed Counters increase to 4. "See that? Mukuro Enjo has created the invincible Speed Acceleration Deck!" Invincible? I doubt it, Yusei was an amazing duelist four years ago, but now, I can't imagine how much stronger he must have gotten.

"So you're challenging me with Speed Spells? I accept and face that challenge! I set two cards and end my turn." When you face someone's challenge, generally you'd play a Speed Spell in this situation.

"My turn. I draw!" Mukuro declares as both his and Yusei's Speed Counters increase by 1. "I activate the Speed Spell Summon Speeder! When I have four or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-below monster from my hand! Come, Skull Base (ATK:800)! By releasing Skull Base and Burning Skullhead, I can Advance Summon Skull Flame (ATK:2600)!" Wow, more skulls and flames. What a surprise, no, really. "When Skull Base is released in order to Advance Summon, I get to draw one card. Battle!" Skull Flame attacks, dropping Yusei's life points to 2300 and his Speed Counter to 1.

"Mukuro Enjo! By using a Speed Spell for a splendid combination attack, he equalised their life points!" 2300 is not equal to 2200, but I get the idea.

"I'm only getting started. Watch this and be shocked! I activate the Continuous Trap Speed Booster! This is the true potential of the Speed Acceleration Deck! I'm only getting started, Yusei!" Damn, Mukuro is kind of obnoxious. "I can activate the Continuous Trap Speed Booster when I have more Speed Counters than you! During your turn, I can negate your monsters' attacks the same number of times as the difference in our Speed Counters. Also, during each of my turns, I can deal damage equal to the difference in our Speed Counters multiplied by 100!" Ouch, that is a harsh effect, given the fact that Mukuro has made sure that he'll always have an advantage. Weirdly enough, Yusei looks like he is actually having fun. It's nice to know that he hasn't changed in four years. "Stop laughing! I activate Speed Booster's effect!" Yusei's life points drop to 1900.

"With that attack, he's gained the advantage in life points! Mukuro has more life points!" Goodness, the MC finally understands the concept of equality. Now if only everyone else in this city did.

"No one can keep up with my speed!" I feel like soon Mukuro is going to be bragging about going faster than the speed of sound. "I set one card and end my turn. How's that? No matter how fast you're driving, you can't see me anymore." Mukuro looks behind him to taunt Yusei, only to find Yusei is directly behind him. "Eh!?"

"I draw."

"How can you keep up when you only have 1 Speed Counter? Slip Stream!" Oh yes, Mukuro was too busy being obnoxious to notice, and now Yusei has the same amount of Speed Counters as Mukuro, totalling 6. "I see. You activated it back then! This is fun, Yusei! However, can you keep you with my speed? I activate the trap Acceleration Zone! Here I go!" Mukuro accelerates, shooting far ahead of Yusei.

"What speed! His Speed Counter are up to eleven!"

"With Acceleration Zone, if you gain Speed Counters using a method different than Speed World's effect, I gain 5 Speed Counters! You can't keep up with this speed!" Well, every turn Yusei gains Speed Counters, he gets closer to you since you cap at 12?

"I activate the Speed Spell Summon Speeder!" Plot twist, Yusei uses same Speed Spell as Mukuro.

"Yusei is countering with Summon Speeder!" Thank you MC for your insightful and thought-provoking commentary.

"Due to the effect of Summon Speeder, I Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (DEF:800). Then I Normal Summon Junk Synchron (ATK:1300)." Yusei's deck just makes me so nostalgic. Quillbolt Hedgehog is still the cutest thing. "Due to Junk Synchron's monster effect, I get to Special Summon Speed Warrior from my graveyard. Come, Speed Warrior (DEF:400)! Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 2 Speed Warrior. Clustering stars will call upon a new power! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Warrior (ATK:2300)!" Oh man the hype. "Junk Warrior gains attack points equal to the attack points of Level 2-or-below monsters on the field. (ATK:2300-3100) Battle!"

"I activate the effect of Speed Booster!" Mukuro negates Junk Warrior's attack.

"All I can do now is survive. I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw!" Once again, both Mukuro's and Yusei's Speed Counters increase by 1.

"There it is! 12 Speed Counters! That's the maximum speed!" That's fairly common knowledge.

"That's right! The person who rules speed also rules the Riding Duel! This speed will lead to the King! That's what I believed while I was training!" Basically, you gotta go fast, right? "I'll finish you in an instant! I activate the Speed Spell Accelerate Draw! Due to its effect; I draw two cards! I drew it! The Speed Spell End of the Storm!" That spell brings bad news.

"End of the Storm?" Even Yusei is shocked by this card's appearance.

"This is the King's card. I'll show you how a King battles using End of the Storm!" Okay buddy, we get it, you wanna be Jack Atlas. Though, _why_ you'd wanna be a pompous asshole is beyond me. "I activate End of the Storm! I activate End of the Storm when I have ten or more Speed Counters. All monsters on our field are destroyed, we take 300 points of damage for each destroyed monster!" End of the Storm's effect drops Mukuro's life points to 1900 and Yusei's to 1300.

"Yusei's life points have immediately dropped to 1300! However, Mukuro destroyed his own monster, so he can't attack! What's he going to do?"

"It's all within my calculations." I'm curious why Mukuro actually responds to the MC. "I remove one Skull Flame in my graveyard from play! By doing this, I can Special Summon a special monster! C'mon, Speed King Skull Flame (ATK:3000)!" Speed and flames in one monster, someone tell this lunatic to calm down.

"What?" Yusei cries out.

"Not only did he destroy all monsters on the field and deal damage, but it led to the summoning of a high level monster! What a perfect combo! The Speed Acceleration Deck is something to be feared!" Valid commentary, what is this?

"This will end it all! Speed King Skull Flame, attack Yusei directly!" It won't end it all, Yusei has something up his sleeve, I can feel it.

"I activate my trap! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." The trap negates Mukuro's attack and then is reset.

"Yusei avoided it with a trap!" The MC's running streak did not last long.

"Then I activate the effect of Speed Booster!" With that, Yusei's life points drop to 800. "With Speed King Skull Flame's monster effect, you take 400 points of damage for every Burning Skullhead in my graveyard!" Yusei takes 400 points of damage, leaving him with only 400.

"Now Yusei only has 400 life points remaining!"

"My turn." Yusei draws and his Speed Counters increase by 1, making a total of 8. "I activate the Speed Spell Shift Down!"

"Yusei intentionally decreased his own Speed Counters!" His Speed Counters slowly decrease until they become 2.

"Due to the effect of Shift Down, I draw two cards. I summon Nitro Synchron (ATK:300). When I have a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard (DEF:800). Then I activate the trap card Give & Take. With this, I can Special Summon a monster in my graveyard to your field in defence position." I smile, remembering Give & Take's effect. Yusei clearly has a plan.

"What?" Mukuro cries as Junk Synchron is summoned on his field in defence position (DEF:500).

"Then one monster on my field gains Levels equal to the Level of the monster that was Special Summoned. (Quillbolt Hedgehog Lv:2-5) Nitro Synchron tunes Quillbolt Hedgehog! Clustering minds will now become a new force! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior (ATK:2800)!" Nitro Warrior's effect lets him draw a card, if he draws the right card, he'll be able to win.

"That was pointless! As long as I have Speed Booster, you can't attack me! Yusei. I'll overtake you with my speed!" Mukuro is a bit too overconfident. Yusei draws his card.

"It's here. I activate the Speed Spell Gap Storm!"

"What?"

"I activate Gap Storm when the difference in our Speed Counters is ten or more. All spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed."

"That means... That includes my Speed Booster! Damn. Yusei." Here we Mukuro, just now realising his defeat is nigh.

"Next, my monster effect. When I activate a spell card on my turn, Nitro Warrior gains 1000 attack points(ATK:2800->3800)."

"What?" Defeat is coming ever closer.

"Battle! Go, Nitro Warrior! Dynamite Knuckle!"

"Damn." Mukuro curses as his life points drop to 1100.

"When Nitro Warrior destroys your monster, one monster on your field in defence position switches to attack position, and Nitro Warrior can attack it."

"What? Attack position? Then that means Junk Synchron will...(DEF->ATK:500->1300)" Here we go...

"Battle!"

"The difference in their attack points is huge!" The MC cries out over the sound system.

"Oh no!" Mukuro screams as his life points hit 0.

"It's over! With an excellent combo, Yusei has a come-from-behind victory!" I can't help but smile as Yusei wins.

"Hey, you were gonna put money on Yusei winning, right?" Shinji breaks me out my thoughts.

"Yeah, why?" Then I realise. "The odds of him winning have gone up, meaning I'll make less money when he wins."

"Yes, you're an idiot." Shinji chuckles. I don't say anything as I shrivelled up into my seat again while Shinji and Reika laugh.


	4. Reunion

The next duel passes without much commotion. In fact, I barely remember what happened at all. It was so one-sided that I decided not to pay attention. Though, a part of me wonders if that was on purpose. Such a gap in skill levels wouldn't have happened on purpose from a man in Godwin's position. I stare at the tower near the centre of the arena, I know Godwin is silently watching us from up there. He must be planning something, organising this tournament out of the blue, _congratulating_ us on our _public maintenance_ , what a load of bull.

"Everybody! There's a sudden turn of events! Godwin has just given a surprise announcement! Are the people who lost in the first round listening? There's going to be a second chance battle!" What is Godwin up to now? The crowd is cheering at the thought of getting more duels for their money. At this, the lights go off in the seating area of the arena.

"I will now announce the matchup of the second chance battle! There will only be one matchup between two random participants! The lucky participants are... Though she lost to Bommer, Godwin recognises that she has skills at only eleven years of age! There's no ceiling to her potential! The dueling angel who came down from the heavens! Miss Ruka!" A spotlight appears a few rows behind us on the girl who dueled first today. Now that I'm focusing on her, I'm sensing an aura off her. My eyes widen. Could this girl be a psychic as well? No, that's not possible. Otherwise, she would have hurt her opponent physically in her duel. She's too young to know how to control her powers. Who is this girl?

Ruka stays unmoving in the spotlight, hesitant to get up. The crowd begins to cheer for Ruka, excited to see her duel again. She resigns, standing up. The spotlight follows her as she walks passed us to the dueling field. Once Ruka is on the dueling field, another spotlight appears.

"The dueling genius Ruka makes her entrance on to the field! The dueling genius Ruka's opponent will be..." A drum roll sounds. "There he is! Nicknamed the Duel Counsellor, it's Professor Frank!" Frank appears in the spotlight and bows to Ruka.

"Nice to meet you, Ruka. Now, let's duel to find your true self hidden deep within your consciousness." Frank's voice is a soft drawl. Something about his voice puts me on edge. I glance at Ruka; she seems just as put off as I am.

"Now it's about to begin!" The MC calls out as the stadium is fully lit again. "Start the second chance battle!"

"Duel!" Ruka and Frank chant simultaneously.

"My turn! I draw." Ruka goes first, which surprises me. I wouldn't have expected someone like her to take initiative. "I summon Sunny Pixie in defence position (DEF:400). I end my turn."

"It's my turn. I draw. I summon Symmetry Rorschach (ATK:1200). I'm sure you know what a Rorschach test is. How you feel determines what this monster looks like. It's a psychological test that reveals your uncertainties, worries and problems. Ruka, what does this monster look like to you? Now answer. What is it?" Subjecting a child to this feels wrong to me. She's too young to address something like that. When I was eleven, my biggest problem was my right arm being broken and having to use my left instead. Well, that and living in the Satellite.

"It's..." Ruka seems terrified.

"Now... Now what is it? Now. What does it look like?" Pushing a child to answering a question like that is disgraceful.

"It looks like... A fairy?" Huh, the monster looks more like a box to me.

"Spiral Mind! This test reveals what you're afraid of deep in your mind. You're afraid of fairies and spirits. Am I wrong?" I'm afraid of boxes? Okay, sure. Or is this some deep symbolic shit?

"That's not true." Ruka tries to defend herself. Though I'm curious why, spirits can be harmful as well as benevolent. Could she be able to see Duel Monster spirits? That's the only way I can justify her reaction. It would also explain her aura and inability to materialise Duel Monsters.

"It'll be fine. In this duel, I'll reveal your fears so that you can be set free." Can someone remind Frank that this child is _eleven_ and that this isn't necessary? "In order to do that, be courageous and go to the other world that's hidden deep within your consciousness. You must travel to the spirit world of Duel Monsters. I know that you can hear the spirit's voices. Then that means the spirit world of Duel Monsters must also exist, right?" I was right. She can communicate with spirits.

"That world exists?" A spirit world? Could such a thing really exist?

"Symmetry Rorschach's monster effect activates. When it destroys your monster, the top card in your deck is turned face up. Peeping Mind!"

"Kuribon!" Ruka announces the card.

"That's a cute spirit card. Can you also hear its voice?" Frank is pushing on creepy now. Ruka turns away from my duel and looks in my general direction. She's not looking at me, but above me. She must have a brother she relies on. The thought makes me wonder if that's what Kaoru and I could have been if I didn't run away back then. It feels me with a sense of melancholy.

"I set two cards and end my turn. It's your turn."

"I draw. Come, Kuribon (ATK:300)!"

"At this moment, I flip over my facedown card! Light to the Depths! You send the top five cards in your deck to your graveyard. We both get to look at the sixth card, and you get to add that card to your hand. If you don't play that card this turn, you take 2000 points of damage." Suddenly, I get a sharp pain in my head. I press my fingertips against my temples. "Now draw the cards at the top of your deck. Slowly. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. What's the sixth card? That's the Field Spell Ancient Forest. All monsters switch to attack position, and neither of us can summon a monster in defence position or switch them to defence position. Monsters that attack are destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. A world where everything is revealed and fighting is not allowed. Now go to the spirit world of Duel Monsters. It seems you went to the spirit world sealed deep within your consciousness." Something is very wrong. Ruka is completely unresponsive and the pain in my head won't go away.

"I draw. I activate the Continuous Trap Gestalt Trap. This card equips on to the opponent's monster. I equip this card onto Kuribon (ATK:300-0). The equipped monster's effects are negated, and its attack and defence points both become 0. Then from my hand, I equip the Equip Spell Immortal Homeostasis onto Kuribon. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed in battle. During your Standby Phase, if the equipped monster's attack points are different than its original attack points, then you take 300 points of damage. In other words, if Kuribon's attack points remain at 0, you'll take damage every turn. Then I release Symmetry Rorschach. I Advance Summon Ido the Supreme Magical Force (ATK:2200). When Ido is destroyed, it is Special Summoned onto my field during the End Phase of that turn. And as long as I have Ido, I am not allowed to summon other monsters." The crowd starts shouting at Ruka, telling her to do something, making the sharp pain in my temples worse.

"What's wrong, Ruka? She's completely lost concentration!" No, it's not her concentration. It's something else. She resembles how I am when I meditate, but she couldn't be meditating now! The loudness of the MC strikes a chord in me and the pain is pounding, it's almost too much to take. I can feel Shinji putting his hand on my back, making sure I'm okay. I'm not, but I need know what's wrong with Ruka.

"Ido the Supreme Magical Force attacks Kuribon! Violent Egoism!" Ruka's life points drop to 1800. "Due to the effect of Immortal Homeostasis, Kuribon is not destroyed. However, it will taste eternal pain in the world of the undead. Ruka, you have to remember. From pain and fear... Remember what your true mission is! Now..." Ido is destroyed due to Ancient Forest's effect. "When Ido is destroyed, it's Special Summoned during the End Phase of that turn. I end my turn. Now it's your turn."

"I draw." Ruka's voice is empty and distant. I can start to feel stomach churning.

"During this Standby Phase, you take 300 points of damage due to the effect of Immortal Homeostasis." Ruka's life points drop to 1500.

"I summon Sunlight Unicorn. I equip Horn of the Unicorn onto Sunlight Unicorn. (ATK:1800-2500)" Ruka commands Sunlight Unicorn to attack Ido.

"How dare you." Frank snarls as his life points drop to 3700. Sunlight Unicorn is destroyed by Ancient Forest's effect. My head starts spinning. Whatever Frank is doing to Ruka; it's having an effect on me.

"I know that your soul is currently in the spirit world of Duel Monsters. I want you to tell me what kind of world it is." Spirit world? That's what's wrong with Ruka! She is basically meditating, but not of her own free will. That's going to have a really bad effect on her body.

"When Horn of the Unicorn is sent to the graveyard, it returns to the top of the deck. Next, I activate the spell card Emergency Assistance from my hand. I can Special Summon one monster that was destroyed this turn. Sunlight Unicorn resurrects(ATK:1800)." As Sunlight Unicorn appears on the field, I can start to feel sick rising in my throat. I can feel my psychic powers fluctuating, everything is starting to turn slightly orange.

"What? Sunlight Unicorn again?" Frank cries out.

At this, I jump out of my seat and starting running down the stairs. I can feel the acidity of the vomit burning my throat. Someone is running after me, I assume it's Reika, given the sound of their footsteps. I can feel myself shaking as I run, because if I vomit on the floor, they'll kick me out of the stadium since I'm marked. I barely make it into the stall of the bathroom before I vomit. My body is in spasms as I coughed up what's left of my breakfast. In that moment, I really regretted having that coffee. Once I'm finished hacking my innards up and content that no more will come up. I flush the toilet and walk over to the sink, taking off my fingerless gloves. My skin is deathly pale; my light sandy blonde hair barely stands out from the colour of my face. I stop dead in my tracks as I spot a pair of eyes looking directly into mine in the mirror.

"Are you feeling better now?" She sends me a small smile. I try to form words but all I can do is nod slowly. How she's not freaking out right now, I don't know. I splash cold water in my face in the hopes of making myself feel better, my head still hurts like fuck.

"Does my brother know you're here?" That is all I can manage.

"No," that small smile still remains on her face. I realise that's more for me rather than her. "I told him I needed to use the bathroom. Don't worry, I won't tell him." It's been two and a half years since I've last seen Emiko Higashiyama. I'm honestly not sure how to react, I haven't seen her since that accident with my brother.

"Oh, did you get any on your clothes?" Emiko looks worriedly at my outfit. I look down at my front and find I am clean of vomit. I shake my head at her. "Oh good, it would be a shame since that short dress and waistcoat combo is so cute."

"Uh thanks, I made it myself." I shrug my shoulders.

"What do you mean you made it yourself?" She gasps and looks at me wide-eyed.

"Well, I'm a seamstress now, it's kind of my job" I reply nonchalantly. I'm have expecting her to make a comment about me having a job despite my mark.

"Oh wow." A big smile breaks onto her face. "I should get you to make me some cute dresses like that." I chuckle. "Actually, we should probably talk somewhere other than a bathroom that smells like vomit."

"Yes, that's a good idea." I don't think it's a good idea, but right here and now, I'd rather talk to Emiko over Kaoru. We walk out into the lobby and sit down near where I sat with Kenta earlier today.

"How's my brother?" I didn't mean for that to be the first thing out of my mouth, but it pops out the second we sit down.

"He's forgiven you, I want you to know that." She says this in a serious tone, which is unlike her. A part of me wants to believe her, but I haven't quite forgiven myself yet. "He doesn't blame you for what happened. Neither of you knew about your powers. Then, his arm healed really quickly, the doctors in the hospital were all really surprised." I don't answer her. "Well, Kaoru is in his final year of school. He doesn't know what he wants to do yet, so he'll probably be taking a gap year. I'll be finishing the next year. I miss you at school, you know. I mean..." She panics. "I know why you left but I miss all of the fun us three had together." She sighs. I know how she feels; I'm trying not to cry. I didn't need this trip down memory lane today. I know why saying all of this, but I can't forget the guilt I feel.

"Does Kaoru that it's actually me?" I swallow really hard, trying to get rid of the tears threatening to fall, my head stinging.

"Not exactly. He's not sure. He knows it someone who looks like you and could very well be you. The only reason I knew was you was because of your feet. You put a foot up on the seat in front of you to fix your thigh-high socks. Someone that looks like you with big feet, it couldn't be anyone else." I look down at my feet and silently curse them. Emiko notices this and laughs. I chuckle along with her. We caught each other's eyes. I'd forgotten how genuine and happy her eyes look when she laughs. I'm remembering the lunch breaks we spent together with Kaoru in the cafeteria in Duel Academy, despite all of the looks people gave them. I remember those long detentions I spent with Izayoi, not saying a word to each other, thinking back it was probably the closest thing she had to friendship back then.

"Oh look, the duel's just ended." Emiko points to the screen across the foyer. "The duel's ended in a draw." My eyes widen, the pain in my head suddenly lifts. From this, I gather that Ruka must be alright now as well. "We should probably get going then." She stands up, the broad smile she shows me is so calming.

"Wait, you should go first. I don't want Kaoru to see me." I rub the back of my head and stare at the far wall.

"Ah okay." She nods with that same smile. "I'll see you later then." She runs off, then I notice she's wearing high heels and I'm confused as to how I ever thought that she was Reika. Reika wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of high heels, honestly getting her to wear a dress is a challenge. I wait a few minutes before getting up. Izayoi crosses my mind again. I can't imagine how alone she must have been. Being sent to detention every time she dueled, although we never talked much, I hope she knows there are people who aren't afraid of her, or thinks she's a monster.

I stand up and begin walking back up to Reika and Shinji. When I start climbing the stairs, I notice him standing a few rows behind my seats on the stairs. I freeze in my place. This is my first time seeing him in the flesh in four years, my hands start shaking. I clench them into fists to stop them. So many feelings rush back at just the sight of him, and suddenly it's almost like I'm fourteen again.

"Yusei."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another headcanon here in this chapter, Aki got sent to detention a lot when she was in Duel Academy because of her powers. This is how Yuuka and Aki know each other, because Yuuka ended up in detention a lot for reasons we'll see later. They're not actually friends, but more acquaintances (hence Yuuka calling her Izayoi).


	5. Cowardice

"Yusei."

His name slips out of my mouth before I can stop myself. Before I realise that I said that out loud, his eyes meet mine. In that split second where we are looking right in each other's eyes, the world freezes. After four years, his eyes are still as I remember them, the same shade of perfect cobalt blue.

"Yuuka?" The shock is evident in his eyes. "You're alive?" He moves down a few steps, I walk up towards him. Oh yeah, he must have thought I was dead after I disappeared without a trace.

"W-well yeah." I manage to stutter out. I notice his eye shift to my marker. "I got arrested and sent to the City." I gesture at my marker. He looks directly at my right arm as if he's looking for something. I glance at it, thinking there was a cut, but no, nothing.

Yusei is about to open his mouth again when I feel a gaze boring into me. I look to my right and meet Kaoru's eyes. His eyes are wide, fuck, he knows. My heart begins to pound wildly, my hands start shaking again. My breath catches in my throat. He turns back to Emiko, at which Shinji signals for me to leave. Shinji and Reika get up to leave. I make eye contact with Yusei again.

"Okay, I really have to go. I'll see you around I guess." I send him a smile and a shrug of the shoulders. He nods. At that, I turn my back to him and run down the stairs.

Once I'm in the lobby, I have to slow down for Reika and Shinji's pace. We quickly walk out of the stadium in silence. I purposely lead them in the opposite direction from my old home. It would take a little longer but it would be best to clear my head. The paths are narrow so I walk in front of Reika and Shinji. They're quietly talking behind me, about me no doubt. My heart rate returns to normal, I shouldn't have panicked that much from just making eye contact with my brother. I guess I'm afraid of what he'll say or do. He could drag me 'home' and force me to lead that suffocating life I once had. Force me to go back to Duel Academy in which every teacher treated me like a criminal and an idiot, sending to detention at even the slightest diversion from normal behaviour. That thought makes my very being shiver in fear.

I can't imagine what Yusei must be thinking right now. I wonder if he feels the same as I do now. He just kind of stood there. I noticed that he's much harder to read than he once was. This nagging thought in my mind says that he had forgotten about me, I push it away. He must have looked for me; he must have thought about me. Why else would he look so shocked? A lingering doubt stays in the back of my mind. Then, I realise that I've stopped dead in my tracks. I look back at Shinji and Reika, who are now holding hands. They're staring at me, confused, then they glance at each other out of the side of their eyes. I also realise that they might have called out to me before, but I was too absorbed in my thoughts to hear them. Everything seems to have slow down.

"You know what? You two go on ahead. I need to take a walk." I wave my hand at them, in the hopes that they don't press the matter.

"Alright. We'll meet you at the stadium in the morning. See you tomorrow!" Reika smiles as they walk past. I sigh when they're out of earshot. I walk down a few side-streets that will take me into the heart of the Daimon Area. It's packed with people. A sea of endless noise. There are people all around me, but I feel alone and scared. Everything seems so far away. My world has started changing in the last few hours. Now, I'm more terrified than I ever have been. My apartment is just on the far side of this open area, but I can't stand be alone right now.

I blank out as my feet guide me. After a few minutes of walking, I end up outside of Raiden's apartment. I freeze as I go to knock with my hand. How would I tell him about what's going on? Is he even in? He did say he was busy today. I knock anyway. I'm surprised when he opens the door. Though Raiden doesn't seem to be, he merely greets me and walks back into the kitchen, while I take a seat on the sofa. He brings a plate of reheated curry from last night back with him.

"There's more there if you want any." He says before he takes a bite.

"Nah, not hungry." Between all of the anxiety and vomiting of today, my stomach isn't ready for food. I stare at my nails, dragging my fingertip over the smooth edges.

"Were the duels good?" I look up to see Raiden looking right at me.

"Yeah I suppose so. I mean the people I wanted to win did." I avoid looking him in the eye. I fear that if Raiden found out about my former _crush_ on Yusei, it would end badly for me.

"Oh really who?" He doesn't sound all that interested, I leave that up to tiredness.

"Oh eh, Izayoi and Yusei." I know I shouldn't be panicking, but I can't help it.

"Izayoi's that chick who you think is the Black Rose Witch, right?"

"I know she is. She summoned Black Rose Dragon, who else could she be?" I furrow my brow, thinking about the insults the crowd flung at her.

"Hmm, I wonder how much Divine had a say in that." He ponders out loud.

"What do you mean?" I'm able to look him in the eye now.

"That's great advertising for the Arcadia Movement. If only you had gotten an invitation, think about what we could have done." I sigh, that's all he ever thinks about these days. Spread our influence, he says, change the world.

"It doesn't matter now really." I pinch the bridge of my nose. I'm not in the mood to deal with this right now.

"Yusei." He says as my eyes widen. "I know that name from somewhere. Isn't your old Satellite friend's name?"

"Yeah, it's him alright." I try to remain calm, my hands are starting to shake again.

"What, was he your boyfriend or something?" He looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Nah." I look right back at him out of the corner of my eye, praying that my answer didn't give me away.

"Oh okay." I resist the urge to sigh of relief. Silence hangs in the air as he finishes his meal. I press my fingertips against my tear ducts. I'm not going to cry, but my fingertips feel really cool against my face. I jump slightly when I hear the noise of Raiden's plate being set on the coffee table.

"Something else happened." That isn't a question. "You're being very distant today." I glance at Raiden to see that he's looking directly at me.

"My brother showed up today." I sigh and stare at the floor. "He looked straight at me. He knew it was me, and I-I just," I look Raiden in the eye, "I just panicked and ran away like a coward." My eyes squeeze shut as my hands cover my mouth. Kaoru's face has popped into my head again. That terrified expression that pains my heart every time I think about it. Raiden places a hand on my back, it's now that I realise that I've become to curl up.

"There's no need to be afraid. What happened then won't happen again because you can control your powers now." I can feel tears burning my eyes. I look up at Raiden. "You've grown so much since then. Believe me, you're stronger now than you were before."

"Yes, thank you." I try to dry my eyes before tears fall.

"I think you shouldn't go to the Fortune Cup tomorrow." My head whips around to look at him. I'm completely caught off guard by this. "Your brother knows that you'll be there, he knows where you're sitting. What if he tries to take you away from me, from us?" He gently takes my hand, which is shaking ever so slightly. I want to look at him, but all that fills my head is thoughts of my days at Duel Academy. The stares, the glares and the murmurs. It's all too much. The voice of that wretched woman is all I can hear.

"I've got to go!" I get up immediately and run straight out of Raiden's apartment. I don't stop running until I get to my apartment. I know I just arrived, but with everything that's going through my head, I don't think I can quite handle being around Raiden right now. It's quite late now so there aren't very many people around. Once I get in the door of my tiny apartment, I sit with my back against the door, resting my head on my knees. My breath catches in my throat and it's hard to breathe. _Satellite scum_. Those words stay in my head, the words that describe my shitty existence in this city.

I know I can't keep running from my problems, but what else can I do? I can't look my brother in the eye and tell him that guilt has plagued my existence since that day. I can't go back to that wretched woman I'm supposed to call _mother_ and tell her that her strict ways make me feel like I'm suffocating. In that moment, with my back against my door, I felt alone in the world. No one would understand how I feel like cowardice is the only way to face the problems staring me in the face.

I lean my head back against the door. A part of me does not want to go to the Fortune Cup again tomorrow, in fear of what might happen. Though, I can't deny that Yusei and Izayoi need my support. I look around this small dingy apartment of mine for inspiration. Suddenly I remember the wig in one of the drawers in my dresser and a plan comes into my head. If I dress differently, wear the wig and apply plenty of makeup, I could go under the radar and not get noticed. I stand up and root through my limited wardrobe and try plan an outfit. Half way through, I give up and leave it for 'future-me' to deal with. I sit on my bed and just let my thoughts run wild. My mind brings me back to days of Team Satisfaction. Even though I was too sick for friends to let me join them, it was probably the most fun time of my life. I wonder are Crow and Kiryu still continuing, despite Yusei and Jack being in the city? I hope that they are, cause I'm no longer that frail little girl I once was. I could join them like I wished I could, all those years ago. My heart warms at the thought of my friends back in the Satellite. I wonder if they ever thought about me like I thought about them. Maybe they gave up on ever finding me and moved on, forgetting about me. I brush that thought away, and try to go asleep. Hoping that one day, we can all meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuka was arrested prior to Kiryu going crazy and getting arrested, so she still thinks that Team Satisfaction is still a thing. She's got a storm coming to put it bluntly, and does play into the events later in the story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you in the next one!


	6. A Cry of Despair

The sunlight seeps through my thin curtains into my face. I groan, a sign that I have to get up. A night plagued with dreams finally over. I can only vaguely remember the last dream. It's a strange feeling, to know you have dreamt but having no memory of that dream. My last dream involved Kiryu. There were bright lights everywhere like a rainbow, lighting up his face which was gaunt and deathly pale. Then everything became dark, and I was running. It felt like I couldn't breathe, and then I just woke up. I stare at my hands in front of me as I try to figure what that dream means. I guess that it's just a bunch of random imagery and get up from my bed to get ready.

I search my wardrobe for clothes that would be appropriate for my 'disguise'. After several minutes of deliberating, I choose a blue-and-white striped dress, a cropped jacket and a pair of high heels. I curse my 'past self' as I do this. I have a habit of leaving things for 'future me', which I really should kick, but old habits die hard I guess. As I contour my cheekbones as much as possible, I can hear my phone sounding off with a text from Reika. I sigh as I put down my makeup brush to check my phone. She asks they, meaning Reika and Shinji, will meet me in front of the stadium in thirty minutes. I guess that's enough time for me to walk there in heels. I quickly finish my makeup and take a good look at myself in the mirror. With the long black wig, I'm fairly unrecognisable, but my eyes stand out. That magenta colour of mine is fairly unusual, which might give me away. I stare at my dresser. Sunglasses might work. I root out the biggest pair I can find. Bingo, the sunglasses complete the outfit as well as obscuring my eyes. I grab my phone, deck and keys before leaving.

I haven't told Reika or Shinji about my disguise, I'm curious to see how they'll react. Though admittedly, this isn't the first time I've done this, so I'm half expecting them to just sigh and shrug their shoulders. The city seems more alive today, the bustle is fascinating. I suppose this city's love of dueling is really showing. It only became more apparent as I got closer to the stadium. Yusei is supposed to be dueling the favourite, Bommer, in the semi-finals. He better win, I think to myself, I placed what little money I have on him to beat Jack. I managed to get decent odds despite it being the semi-finals. As I approach the stadium doors, I spot Shinji and Reika off to the side talking. Shinji glances at me, his facial expression seems to indicate that he knows it's me.

"So this is your solution. Reika reckoned you wouldn't actually show up." Shinji calls out to me as he approaches.

"I find your lack of faith disheartening Reika." I joke. "I need to support my people, you know me."

"I suppose so." Reika chuckles.

"Did you put money on Yusei like you said you would?" Shinji asks as we walk up to our seats.

"Yeah, the odds weren't as bad as I thought. Though, they're a lot worse than those before his first duel." I reply, a little peeved that I didn't act quick enough yesterday.

"Ah well, if he wins, you still get more money than you had." Reika tries to comfort me, not really her best suite but I roll with it.

"I suppose you're right."

"Wait." Shinji disturbs the conversation, "If you're hiding from your brother with that disguise, how is Yusei going to recognise you when he inevitably comes looking for you? Judging by the look on his face when he saw you, he will." My face says it all. I sometimes don't think all of my plans through. Shinji knows this. "Of course you didn't think of that. Which is surprising given your face when you saw Yusei, it was almost like seeing Cupid's Arrow striking in front of us."

"Shut up, okay! I know I'm not the best at decision-making. As long as I get through to the Title Match without getting recognised by my brother, I'll be fine. After that, I can take the wig off and go find Yusei." We approach the stairs leading to our seats. I gesture to them to kill this conversation.

"It's finally the second day of the tournament! Whether you like it or not, the King's challenger will be determined in today's duels!" The MC's voice booms out before we've even reached our seats. "In the first battle of the semi-finals, it's Satellite's Shooting Star Yusei Fudo versus the Black Storm Bommer!" Yusei once again shoots out from the pits in a cloud of smoke. As he drives to the starting line, the crowd begins cheering for him. I genuinely have to look around to see if they're seeing the same thing I am. Oh, I suppose the crowd now likes Yusei because he put on a good show yesterday. How typical of this city. I can feel the loathing rise up inside me. As the crowd is cheering, a scraping noise fills the stadium. Then Bommer flies out into the stadium on his own D-Wheel.

"What's that? Is it an elephant? Is it a dinosaur? No, it's Bommer's D-Wheel!" I resist the urge to hold my face in my hands from second-hand embarrassment. Now, both D-Wheels are at the starting point.

"I might accidentally squash your D-Wheel." Bommer says to Yusei as they wait for the duel to start. Now if he squashes Yusei, Bommer and I are going to have a little _discussion_.

"Just because a D-Wheel is bigger doesn't mean that it's better." Now I'm holding my face in my hands from second-hand embarrassment.

"I will win this duel! Actually, I must win this duel!" No Bommer, Yusei must win this duel if I want to eat tomorrow.

"Set on the Field Spell Speed World! The field is now controlled by Speed World. The only spells that can be activated are Speed Spells!"

"Here I go, Yusei!" The countdown begins.

"Riding Duel..." The countdown reaches zero. "Acceleration!"

"I go first." Bommer claims the first turn. "I draw! I summon a monster from my hand! Appear! Magic Reactor-AID (ATK:1200)! I set three cards and end my turn!" Finally, a deck that doesn't match a duelist's aesthetic or appearance, at least for now anyway. At this point, both Yusei's and Bommer's Speed Counters become 1.

"My turn. I set one card. Then I summon Speed Warrior (ATK:900)!"

"At this moment, my trap activates! Hidden Soldiers! With this trap, when you summon a monster, I can Special Summon a Level 4-or-below Dark Attribute monster from my hand. I Special Summon Trap Reactor-RR (ATK:800)!"

"Speed Warrior's attack points are doubled on the turn that it's summoned. (ATK:900-1800) Go, Speed Warrior! Sonic Edge!" The attack causes Bommer's life points drop to 3400. However, Bommer's monster was not destroyed. "What?"

"That was weak, Yusei! I've already activated the trap card Fake Explosion! This card protects my monster from your attack, and I can Special Summon a Level 5 monster from my hand. Appear, Summon Reactor-AI (ATK:2000)!" I'm noticing a theme in his monsters here. "I activate the new trap card Delta Reactor! This card sends Summon Reactor-AI, Trap Reactor-RR and Magic Reactor-AID from the field to the graveyard. Appear, Flying Fortress SKY FIRE (ATK:3000)!"

"Bommer summoned his ace monster on the second turn!" A good ace monster at that.

"With Flying Fortress SKY FIRE, once during the opponent's turn, if you Normal Summon, Special Summon or set a card, that card is destroyed and you take 800 points of damage. Yusei, now you won't be able to do anything! I'll win and accomplish my mission!" I cringe at that effect; it will be interesting to see how Yusei gets around it.

"It's now the third turn of the duel! And now Bommer's attack now begins!" Why is the MC announcing the turn number? Surely this doesn't add anything of value to this commentary. I don't know, maybe there was a commercial break in the televised broadcast or something.

"My turn." Both of their Speed Counters increased to 2. "Flying Fortress SKY FIRE attacks Speed Warrior!" Yusei's life points drop to 1900. I shudder as he takes the damage, causing him to spin out.

"Yusei has spun out! He's managed to regain and is chasing Bommer! With Speed World, for every 1000 points of damage you take at one time, you lose one Speed Counter! Since he took 2100 points of damage, Yusei's Speed Counter has returned to zero!"

"You're going to lose already? Bring it, Yusei! I set one card and end my turn." Yusei takes one attack so he's going to lose? Good logic there Bommer.

"My turn." Bommer's Speed Counter becomes 3, while Yusei's goes up to 1. "From my hand, I summon Shield Warrior(DEF:1600)."

"Flying Fortress SKY FIRE monster effect now activates! When you summon a monster, that card is destroyed and you take 800 points of damage. Sharpshooting!" Yusei's life points drop once again, going from 1900 to 1100. The attack causes Yusei to spin out once again. I clench my fists in fear.

"Yusei spins out again!"

"I set one card and end my turn." I stare at Yusei's set card. Could that be why he summoned the monster first and let Bommer destroy it, so he could set that card successfully? Given what I've seen of Yusei's dueling so far, I feel that I'm right.

"This battle is one-sided! Bommer is too strong! Yusei has zero monsters on his field! If he takes a direct attack on the next turn, the duel will be over!" I wouldn't give up on Yusei so quickly, I have faith in his set card.

"My turn!" Bommer declares as his Speed Counter increases to 4, while Yusei's is now 2. "Yusei! I attack you directly!" No surprise there.

"Attack me directly? I activate the trap Wild Tornado. This card destroys one spell or trap card. I'm destroying this card!" He gestures to his own set card.

"You're destroying your own card?" He clearly has a strategy Bommer, gods.

"When this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon Speed Warrior from my graveyard(DEF:400)." See? Yusei knows what he is doing.

"So you withstood my attack. However, all you have left now are the cards in your hand! I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn." Yusei's Speed Counter increases to 3, while Bommer is 2 ahead on 5. "I summon Fortress Warrior from my hand(ATK:600)!" I wonder is Yusei attempting the same strategy as last turn.

"Now Flying Fortress SKY FIRE's monster effect activates! When you play a card, that card is destroyed and you take 800 points of damage! Sharpshooting!" Yusei's life points drop to 300. This loss of life points and speed allow Bommer to lap Yusei.

"Bommer has finally passed Yusei!" He was technically in front of Yusei the whole time but okay.

"I activate the Speed Spell Zero Reverse!" The name of the card makes me cringe. "When I have three or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon the monster that was destroyed this turn due to an effect and it returns with 0 attack points(ATK:0)." Fortress Warrior returns to the field.

"With 0 attack points, you can't defeat me!" When you will learn that Yusei will always have a strategy?

"That's right, Bommer. I also have people I need to protect. When I successfully summon a monster, I'm allowed to Special Summon this monster. Here we go, Rally!" Who is Rally, I wonder. "I Special Summon One-Shot Booster(ATK:0). Fortress Warrior attacks Flying Fortress SKY FIRE."

"Why would you do that with 0 attack points?" You never learn, do you?

"One-Shot Booster's monster effect. By releasing it, your monster that battles against my monster is destroyed." Rather than using effects to negate SKY FIRE's own effect, Yusei plans to simply destroy it. Interesting to say the least.

"However, due to battle damage, you'll take 3000 points of damage!" Must I reiterate myself again, Bommer?

"Once per turn, Fortress Warrior can make battle damage become 0. I release One-Shot Booster." As Flying Fortress SKY FIRE, a big cloud of black smoke surrounds the two D-Wheelers.

"Yusei destroyed Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!"

"I activate the Continuous Trap Chariot Pile!" Spikes come out from the hub of Bommer's wheels. "Until I accomplish my mission, I can't lose to you! My turn." Bommer's Speed Counter increases to 6, with Yusei now at 4. "Chariot Pile's effect activates! Once per turn, you take 800 points of damage! You can negate this effect by releasing a monster. What will you do, Yusei?"

"I release Fortress Warrior to negate the damage!" A nasty effect by all standards, good thing Yusei's deck seems to have a high monster ratio.

"You managed to block it by releasing a monster. I end my turn."

"My turn." As Yusei declares his turn, his Speed Counter becomes 5, while Bommer's becomes 7. "I summon Junk Synchron(ATK:1300). When this card is successfully summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-below monster in my graveyard. Resurrect, Speed Warrior(DEF:400)! Then Junk Synchron tunes Speed Warrior!"

"A Synchro Monster?" Yes, this is how most people play this game nowadays.

"Clustering stars will call upon a new power! Become the path that light the way! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Junk Warrior(ATK:2300)!" Junk Warrior once again makes an appearance. "Attack Bommer directly! Scrap Fist!"

"Not good enough, Yusei! Chariot Pile has another effect. When your monster attacks me directly, I can pay 800 life points to negate that attack and destroy it!" Bommer's life points go from 3400 to 2600, and Junk Warrior is destroyed.

"I set one card and end my turn." I feel slightly disappointed that Yusei Synchro Summoned Junk Warrior for basically nothing.

"It's my turn." Both Bommer's and Yusei's Speed Counters increase, becoming 8 and 6 respectively. "I summon Black Salvo(ATK:100)! When this card is successfully summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 Dark Attribute monster in my graveyard in defence position! Appear, Trap Reactor-RR(DEF:1800)! Level 3 Black Salvo tunes Level 4 Trap Reactor-RR!"

"A Synchro Summon?" I genuinely confused as to why Yusei is surprised right now.

"That's right! You're not the only one who uses Synchro Monsters!" But doesn't practically everyone use Synchros nowadays? Ugh, I give up. "Appear, Dark Strike Fighter(ATK:2600)! Dark Strike Fighter attacks you directly!"

"I activate my trap. Synchro Spirits. By removing a Synchro Monster in my graveyard from play, I can Special Summon the monsters that were needed to Synchro Summon it from my graveyard. I remove Junk Warrior from play! Resurrect, Junk Synchron and Speed Warrior(DEF:500/DEF:400)!"

"What? Why can't I destroy it?" Bommer cries out.

"By removing Shield Warrior in my graveyard from play, I can prevent it from being destroyed due to battle." It's nice seeing Bommer's own monster effect eventually working against him.

"However, Chariot Pile's effect now activates! Once per turn, it deals 800 points of damage!" Here we go again.

"I release Speed Warrior to negate the damage!" He's clearly saving Junk Synchron here, he must be planning to Synchro again.

"Then I activate the trap card Ultimate Flare! Due to this card, I Special Summon an Ultimate Flare Token(DEF:0)!" That's not good. That token deals 800 damage to an opponent when destroyed. What's worse is that Dark Strike Fighter's monster effect allows you to release a monster to deal damage to the opponent equal to 200 times the monster of the released monster. Since the token has a level of 10, it will cause 2000 points of damage. Which means that Yusei would lose if he's not able to counter it.

"Now you won't be able to do anything again! On my next turn, your life points will become 0! I end my turn!"

"Now what will he do? Yusei has no cards in his hand! He's completely cornered! Everything depends on the next draw!"

"My turn." As he says this, Yusei's Speed Counters become 7, while Bommer's become 9. "I'm betting on this card. I summon Tuningware(ATK:100). Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 1 Tuningware. Synchro Summon! Come, Armory Arm(ATK:1800)!" Just like I imagined, Yusei's deck has really good Synchro potential.

"What can you do with 1800 attack points?" This game is all about monster effects, my friend.

"When Tuningware is used to Synchro Summon, I get to draw one card from my deck."

"Yusei has managed to keep going, and this is the final draw of destiny!" The MC's voice booms over the sound system as Yusei draws. Though it's hard to see with my sunglasses, I believe that he just smiled.

"I activate the Speed Spell Synchro Return. When I have 5 or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon a Synchro Monster that was removed from play. Come forth, Junk Warrior(ATK:2300)! Then I activate Armory Arm's monster effect!"

"What?" Monster effects, can you believe that they weren't all that common back in the day?

"Armory Arm equips onto a Synchro Monster and increases its attack points by 1000!" Junk Warrior's attack points increase to 3300.

"It has more attack points than Dark Strike Fighter!" Congratulations Bommer, you understand the concept of equality.

"Junk Warrior! Power Gear Fist!" Bommer's life points drop from 2600 to 1900. "Next is Armory Arm's effect. When the equipped monster destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!" With that, ladies and gentlemen, Yusei has won.

"What?" Bommer cries out as his life points hit 0. His D-Wheel spins out as smoke comes out from it, signalling defeat. He falls off his D-Wheel. It's faint, but I notice that Chariot Pile hasn't vanished from his D-Wheel.

"It's over! Satellite's Shooting Star Yusei Fudo versus The Black Storm Bommer! The winner of the Duel of the Fortune Cup semi-finals is Yusei Fudo!" The sheer volume of the MC's voice makes me shudder. On the track, I can see Yusei approaching Bommer. "The next battle will be..." The MC is silenced as Bommer activates a microphone. Okay, I'm confused.

"Yusei, well done. I lost. However, my mission isn't over! I planned to win this tournament so that during the ceremonies, I could publicly reveal what Godwin did." What did that corrupt scumbag do this time? "However, that's no longer possible. Therefore, I'll get my revenge now! Look at this!" An image of a village in ruin shows up on the projector in the middle of the arena. I'm in horror at the sheer level of destruction. "My village was completely destroyed! This is my village! My hometown! In order to resurrect the Crimson Dragon, Godwin used my village as a testing ground!" Crimson Dragon? What would Godwin want with such a thing? "And my village was..." The visuals now show Bommer's village being destroyed. It's a little too much for me, as I imagine the same happening to the Satellite.

"All the villagers are missing, including my brother and sister. Yusei! Jack! Don't trust him! You can't let Godwin have the Crimson Dragon!" I'm shocked as Bommer calls out to Yusei and Jack. How are they involved with Godwin? Why would they? He's in charge of that stupid Security force that plagued our years in the Satellite. Bommer moves to get back on D-Wheel. "I'll settle things with him with my own hands! For my hometown friends! For my dear brother and sister! For this sadness to never happen again!" Bommer manages to propel himself into the air towards Godwin's tower in the centre of the stadium.

"Bommer!" I hear Yusei call out as he also propels himself into the air. He manages to collide with Bommer, sending him off course and back onto the track. However, a large piece of shrapnel manages to come off the Chariot Pike on Bommer's D-Wheel. It is sent flying towards Godwin's tower and manages to break the glass with a mighty smash. The stadium is dead silent, in fear of what happened to Rex Godwin up in that tower. He's too far away for me to know if he's okay or not.

"Yusei! Why did you stop me? Why?" Bommer screams at Yusei, back down on the track.

"Bommer, I can't forgive him either. But if you try to settle things by force, then you're no better than him." I'm surprised that Yusei managed those wise words in chaos like this.

"Yusei!" Bommer screams at the top of his lungs. Despite the silence of the crowd, I can feel chaos and fear growing. This simple tournament may have a bigger impact on the city that I originally thought.


	7. The Black Rose Witch

The crowd is silent, waiting for news on Godwin's safety. One of the large floor-length windows at the top of the tower was completely smashed to pieces. Suddenly, Godwin's face is projected on to multiples screens around the stadium. "Everyone in the stadium, please remain calm." It looks like Godwin is safe, shame to be honest. "As the director of the Public Maintenance Department, I have the responsibility to protect you." Protect us? Please, you only protect the privileged. The ones who need it the least. "No matter what happens, I will protect you. Even if it means it's in exchange for my life." The crowd is cheering at Godwin's promise, unaware that he's secretly planning something. Every duel in the tournament makes me more suspicious of Godwin's true motive. That duel with Ruka, sending out weird psychic energy causing me to be ill. That Frank's first duel, ending too quickly and him being completely outclassed. Now, Bommer's attempt at Godwin's life, how the city can turn a blind eye on all of these events astounds me. Though, maybe they have become accustomed to turning a blind eye on everything that's wrong in the world. As the crowd cheers, I spot Bommer being dragged away by Security. They've cleverly turned the microphones off down there, allowing us not to hear what's actually going on. I'll likely never see Bommer again given the severity of what just tried to do. That man has a courage of steel.

The crowd quietens down in anticipation for the next duel. Izayoi will be dueling next. I feel nervous at that very thought. If she loses control of her powers, her own psychic energy could make my own react, giving my true identity away. I fix my sunglasses and brush the straight fringe of the black wig out from underneath the sunglasses. If she doesn't control her powers and brews up more wind, it could cause my wig to fly off. That would surely catch the attention of Kaoru, my light blonde hair is a dead giveaway. I don't turn to Shinji or Reika, I would need to disguise my voice too. I have a hard time doing that when I get nervous. I sigh inwardly and take a deep breath. I don't need to rely on anyone else to help me, only myself. The lights suddenly go out inside the stadium, signalling the next duel. I try to focus my thoughts on the duel, rather than my _inner turmoil_.

"It's time for the second semi-final that you've all been waiting for! The dueling worker, Kodo Kinomiya!" A spotlight shines on said duelist. "Facing him is the person who made a lasting impact in the first round! The Black Rose Witch, Aki Izayoi!" A bit harsh introducing her by that name not in an underground setting. As the spotlight appears on her, the crowd begins to heckle like usual. "This game is a standing duel!" The heckle softens to a murmur. "The anticipated battle begins now!"

"Duel!" Kinomiya and Izayoi declare, starting the duel.

"My turn. I draw." Izayoi starts the duel, a nice change of pace. "I summon Violet Witch(ATK:1100). Next, I activate the Field Spell Black Garden from my hand." Same as before, vines come out from under Izayoi, creating a dome shape around the field.

"It's started. You just seal yourself away in your own world." Oh Kinomiya is one of _those_ people.

"I set one card. I end my turn." Izayoi remains unaffected by Kinomiya's strange comment.

"Izayoi has already used Black Garden! What will Kinomiya do?" I don't know, use an effect maybe?

"My turn. I draw!" Kinomiya takes his first turn. "I know why you use Black Garden. You want to become friends with other people. However, this is how you behave towards family and friends." I'm pretty sure she has none based on how she was at Duel Academy, but okay. "I set one card and end my turn."

"What? All Kinomiya did was set a card!" Good insight there MC, maybe he has a strategy in mind.

"This set card symbolises all the people you've met so far. No one wants to be friends with a witch." Okay, _that_ was uncalled for. "It's those eyes! Everyone is afraid of those eyes that stare at the opponent!" I hate this guy already, it's official.

"My turn. I draw. Battle. Violet Witch attacks you directly." The attack is successful, making Kinomiya's life points drop to 2900.

"Just as we expected, Izayoi's direct attack damaged Kinomiya!" Psychic duelist does actual damage, shocking. Tomorrow's news, water is wet.

"You hurt another person again in a duel. Psychic duelist Aki Izayoi! Three years ago on May 15th, you hurt a classmate using Violet Witch during dueling practice. That was the first time you used your power at Duel Academy." I remember that, but he wasn't there. How could he possibly know that? "From that point on, everyone was afraid of you, so you turned your back on them." Even though that was directed at Izayoi, those words, they hurt me all the same. "Just like the back of this card! Your power is a sinful thing that you shouldn't have. Disgusting power requires punishment. I activate the trap card Crime and Punishment! This card activates when I take direct damage. One of your monsters is destroyed."

"Violet Witch's monster effect." Izayoi calls out. "When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, I add one Plant-Type monster with 1500-or-fewer defence points from my deck to my hand. The card I select is Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis."

"You once again selected a card that has deep meaning for a sixteen year-old." What is he on about? Deep meaning for a sixteen-year-old, he's clearly smoking something. "Crime and Punishment's effect! At the end of the Battle Phase, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-below monster from my hand! I Special Summon Agent of Hatred in defence position(DEF:0)!"

"Due to Black Garden's effect, the attack points of the summoned monster are halved." As Izayoi says this, vines begin to constrict the monster.

"Too bad. Agent of Hatred has 0 attack and defence points! The effect of that spell is meaningless!" Yes, but that number is 0.

"Since you Special Summoned Agent of Hatred, I can Special Summon one Rose Token onto my field(ATK:800). The Token that I Special Summoned using this effect cannot be destroyed in battle, or attack." Izayoi's somewhat infamous strategy rears its head again.

"Then I also activate Agent of Hatred's monster effect! Once per turn during your Battle Phase, I can regain life points equal to the battle damage I took from one attack." Kinomiya's life points return to 4000. I must admit that effect is a nice trade for its 0 attack points.

"From my hand, I summon Phoenician Seed in defence position(DEF:0). Black Garden's effect activates." Once again, vines constrict around the monster. "Black Garden halves the attack points of the summoned monster, and a Rose Token is Special Summon onto the opponent's field in attack position(ATK:800). I activate the Continuous Trap Rose Flame. When a Plant-Type monster is summoned onto the opponent's field, the opponent takes 500 points of damage." Kinomiya attacked by a storm of flaming purple petals as his life points drop to 3500.

"This time, you're replaying what happened when you were five years old." Izayoi looks slightly surprised by this reveal. How would he know about something that happened eleven years ago to a little girl? Pervert. "It's the day you won a duel for the first time. The excitement of your first victory awakened the power that was lying dormant in your consciousness!"

"My power just doesn't destroy things around me." Izayoi pauses and looks at her hand. She thinking some deep, emotional shit right here, isn't she? "I end my turn."

"You're a monster that's destroying this world. Since you're a monster, go back to your monster's nest! This world is for humans!" That physically hurt me, my heart is aching. She's not some hideous dragon, she's a sixteen-year-old girl who's clearly been through some serious shit in her life. Izayoi doesn't respond, I'm still amazed at how she does it. "My turn. I draw. From my hand, I activate the spell card Mind Monster." A weird blue blob appears on the field like a monster. "Mind Monster's effect. I guess what monster you have. I guess Black Rose Dragon!" The crowd acts surprised. She used it in her last duel, you nitwits. "If you have the monster I guessed, you take damage equal to half that monster's attack points." Mind Monsters morphs into the infamous dragon. "Black Rose Dragon has 2400 attack points. You take half its attack points as damage, so you take 1200 points!" Izayoi is attacked by purple flames, in the way her own dragon attacks. Her life points drop to 2800. The crowd is surprised and happy that Kinomiya managed to damage Izayoi.

"Too bad. If I had your power, I could have hurt you for real." I have Izayoi's powers, I could hurt you if you want. "Stay tuned for the next turn. I switch Rose Token on my field to defence position and end my turn(ATK-DEF:800-800)."

"My turn, I draw!" Izayoi declares, then pauses. I imagine Kinomiya's taunts and insults are now getting to her.

"What are you doing? Come on! The Arcadia Movement is depending on your power!" There we go, I was waiting for that. He must have researched Izayoi before the duel. How else would he know about the Arcadia Movement?

"I came here because I believe in someone. And I have the power I need!" She must mean Divine. Though I personally wouldn't put my trust in him, he seems fishy and up to something, in my opinion at least. "Phoenician Seed's monster effect. By sending this face up card on my field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis from my hand(ATK:2200)!"

"Due to the effect of Black Garden, the summoned monster's attack points are halved(ATK:2200-1100), and a Rose Token is summoned onto the opponent's field(ATK:800). Since Rose Token was Special Summoned, the Continuous Trap Rose Flame activates!" Izayoi's trap causes Kinomiya's life points to go from 3500 to 3000.

"Battle! Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis attacks Rose Token!" Kinomiya's life points once again drop, this time to 2700. "When Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis attacks, it is destroyed. Then its monster effect activates. When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it deals 800 points of damage." Kinomiya begins to fall to his knees from the damage.

"So that's why it self-destructed after the attack." His life points keep dropping, now at 1900.

"Due to Agent of Hatred's monster effect, Kinomiya regains life points equal to the battle damage!" The MC calls out, finally, giving some usual information. Kinomiya's life points return to 2200.

"My body is tearing apart... The witch is seriously trying to end my life." She's not trying to kill you. Injure you, yes. But _kill_ you? No. "If my life points become 0, there are more important things than my fee." Like your hospital bill.

"I set one card and end my turn. During the End Phase of my turn, I can Special Summon Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis from my graveyard in defence position(DEF:0)."

"This means Rose Token is Special Summoned onto Kinomiya's field(ATK:800)!" Has the MC been replaced with his more useful twin brother?

"The Continuous Trap Rose Flame activates." Izayoi calls out, signalling more pain for Kinomiya.

"The Continuous Trap attacks assails Kinomiya!" The MC cries out as Kinomiya's life points drop to 1700.

"You freak..." Okay, _now_ I'm offended. Psychics aren't freaks, they're all beautiful, amazing and I will fight you if you say otherwise. "My turn! I draw! I release three Rose Tokens to Special Summon Mad Profiler from my hand(ATK:2600)! I can Special Summon Mad Profiler from my hand by releasing three monsters on my field!"

"Due to the effect of Black Garden, the monster's attack points are halved(ATK:2600-1300), and a Rose Token is summoned onto Izayoi's field(ATK:800)!" Okay, I'm actually worried for the MC right now, this isn't like him to be giving useful commentary.

"Mad Profiler's monster effect. By sending one card to the graveyard, a card on the field that's the same type as the discarded card is removed from play!" Black Garden's vines begin to glow green and fade away. Mad Profiler's attack points return to their normal 2600. "I'm going to continue using Mad Profiler's monster effect. I send a monster card to the graveyard. Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis is removed from play! Now when a monster is destroyed, the monster effect won't activate! Let's battle! Mad Profiler, attack Rose Token!" Izayoi's life points drop from 2800 to 1000. The crowd once again begins cheering for Kinomiya, telling him to _keep attacking that freak_. I try not to be affected by their harsh words. This disguise protects me.

"I hope you learned that a freak shouldn't disgrace the art of dueling! Go back to your nest!" Oh gods, I think he's actually worse than that knight guy. "I activate the Equip Spell Destruction Insurance from my hand." That card, could he be? When the equipped monster is destroyed, the opponent takes damage equal to half its attack points. Since Mad Profiler has 2600 attack points, Izayoi would take 1300 damage, meaning she would lose. "Then I activate another Equip Spell! Lightlow Protection!" That card allows you to destroy your opponent's monster if that monster's effect changes the attack points of the equipped monster. That proves it, these cards counter Black Rose Dragon's effects.

"My turn. I draw." Izayoi begins her turn. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight(ATK:1000). Level 3 Tuner Monster Twilight Rose Knight tunes two Level 2 Rose Tokens. Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!" The dragon appears in a bright light. It causes harsh winds to fly around the stadium, I grip the top of my head hard so my wig doesn't fly off. Dark purple petals fill the air. It's stronger than last time and that fills me with a strange fear in the pit of my stomach, could she be?

"The witch's ace in the hole. Bring it! I'll counter it! You're a freak whose parents abandoned you!" Okay, _that_ was uncalled for! As he says this, Izayoi's hair clip falls to the ground with a metallic, hollow sound, calling her hair to fall into her face. The crowd is dead silent, in fear of what will happen next. However, I know what's coming as her hair and clothes begin to flow, as if they were in a breeze. I've seen this so many times before. There's a faint red glow off Izayoi. So, this is what she looks like when she loses control of her powers. Looking at her makes me feel that familiar electricity in my veins. If I'm not careful, I'll lose my ability to contain my own.

"I won't forgive someone like you who stomps on a person's heart. I'll carve pain into your body!" So, this is the real Black Rose Witch. "Black Rose Dragon's monster effect. By removing one Plant-Type monster in my graveyard from play, your monster's attack points become 0. Rose Restriction!" Mad Profiler's attack points fall to 0.

"I was waiting for that! I activate Lightlow Protection's effect! When the equipped monster's attack points change due to your monster's effect, that monster is destroyed!" Smoke fills the stadium as Black Rose Dragon is destroyed.

"I activate the trap card Rose Curse. When the attack points of a monster on your field changes, you take damage equal to the difference between that monster's original attack points and its new attack points." Red petals begin to swirl around Kinomiya, creating a tornado shape.

"Do it." Petals engulf and damage all around the field. The crowd screams in fear of being hurt themselves, my hand still tightly gripping my skull. Once the petals have done their damage, they begin to settle and fall. They reveal Kinomiya lying in a hole in the dueling field. The crowd is dead silent, taking in that image.

"It's over! Hurry up and bring the paramedics! Aki Izayoi advances to the finals!" I look at Izayoi, standing there with her hair still covering her face. As my hands fall into my lap, I look at Kinomiya and wonder what damage she could do to Yusei.


	8. The Heart Behind The Mask

"Beat the witch!" She's not a witch, she just has psychic powers. "I'll root for that Satellite garbage!" Is it because he's the lesser of two _evils_? "Smash the witch!" A bit harsh for a sixteen-year-old girl, no?

In anticipation for the finals, they started lighting fireworks and showing highlights of Yusei's and Izayoi's duels, with a noticeable bias towards Yusei. It's times like this I wish I could leave this city, but I can't. I'm tied down, can't escape. Between my duties here and my mark, I could never leave. I'll be shunned one way or another wherever I go. It's frightening, being tied down. Sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating in the smog of the docklands, exiled from the _utopia_ that is Neo Domino City. The breaks in between duels give me time to think, but somehow, all I can think about is the state of affairs in this godforsaken city. I turn my thoughts towards the upcoming duel between Yusei and Izayoi. I want to believe Yusei will be fine against her, since he won't call her a witch like everyone else. But a small part of me worrying what Izayoi will do if Yusei offers her friendship, she could lash out at him for all those years of loneliness, self-loathing and dark thoughts. Yusei could end up in the same state as Kinomiya. I'm terrified but I can't show it. As I look now, people can't tell I'm a Satellite. A _proper_ city resident should not be concerned for the safety of a Satellite _lowlife._ No matter how makeup I put on or how much of a cool front I put up, I will always be a Satellite, I will always cry out at injustice. If only this were a world where I would be listened to. As dark thoughts enter my head once more, the lights turn off in the stadium.

"It's finally time for the finals! The winner of the finals gets to challenge the King!" They show some promotional photography of Jack in the centre of the stadium, which reminds me that I will have to sit through this asshole dueling either Izayoi or Yusei. "Which one will get the chance to gain an audience with the King? The first challenger is the Black Rose Witch Aki Izayoi!" Izayoi appears in a puff of smoke, the spotlight harshly on her presence. "Next is the Satellite's Shooting Star Yusei Fudo!" Yusei also appears though a cloud of smoke, his back is towards me. I say what resembles a prayer in my head. The lights finally come back on in the stadium, they also projections of Yusei and Izayoi everywhere. They want us to feel excited, but all I feel is dread. "Every moment has led to this! Duel of Fortune Cup finals! Start!"

"Duel!" Yusei and Izayoi chant, officially starting the duel.

"My turn. I draw. I summon Wall of Ivy in defence position(DEF:1200). I set one card and end my turn." If she's going first again, she must want to end this quickly.

"My turn. I summon Speed Warrior(ATK:900)." How many times has Speed Warrior been in Yusei's starting hand? It feels like too many, to be quite honest. "During the Battle Phase of the turn that Speed Warrior is summoned, its attack points double(ATK:900-1800). Speed Warrior attacks Wall of Ivy!"

"When Wall of Ivy is the target of attack one Ivy Token is Special Summon onto the opponent's field in defence position(DEF:0)." More Tokens? Ivy Token deals 300 points of damage to the controller when destroyed. I somehow feel like Izayoi has already set up a strategy.

"Sonic Edge!" Speed Warrior attacks, destroying Wall of Ivy.

"Whoa! Aki Izayoi often uses the strategy of summoning a Token onto the opponent's field! What surprise does she have this time?" Oh yes, the MC still exists, shame.

"This token is..." I wonder if Yusei is having the same thought pattern as me right now, I doubt it to be honest. "I end my turn."

"My turn. I draw. I flip over my set card. I activate the Continuous Trap Cursed Ivy. Due to its effect, I can Special Summon one Ivy monster from my graveyard in face up defence position. I return Wall of Ivy(DEF:1200). Cursed Ivy equips onto Wall of Ivy, and if it's removed from the field, the equipped monster is also destroyed. I end my turn."

"In the first two turns, they're both feeling each other out. The crowd also looks to have calmed down. However, is this the calm before the storm?" The MC is right; the crowd is unusually calm. Just wait until Izayoi attacks, then they'll kick up a storm.

"My turn." I've noticed that Yusei doesn't declare his draws like most people, interesting. "I release the Warrior-Type Speed Warrior. That allows me to Special Summon Turret Warrior(ATK:1200)! Turret Warrior gains attack points equal to the attack points of the Warrior-Type monster that was released(ATK:1200-2100). Turret Warrior attacks Wall of Ivy!"

"When Wall of Ivy is the target of attack, one Ivy Token is Special Summoned onto your field in defence position(DEF:0)." What could Izayoi be planning?

"Revolving Shot!" Turret Warrior's attack goes through.

"Since Wall of Ivy was destroyed, Cursed Ivy is also destroyed. When this card is sent to the graveyard, two Ivy Tokens are Special Summoned onto your field in defence position(DEF:0/DEF:0)." Yusei has a full field now.

"I end my turn." Is Yusei feeling the same sense of dread towards that full field of his?

"My turn. I draw. From my hand, I activate the spell card Seed of Deception. I can Special Summon one Level-2-or-below Plant-Type monster from my hand. Appear, Dark Verger(ATK:0)! Then I release Dark Verger! That lets me Advance Summon Rose Tentacles(ATK:2200)! Rose Tentacles attacks Turret Warrior! Thorn Whip!" As usual, Izayoi's attack causes a strong wind to whip around the stadium as Yusei's life points drop to 3900.

"Yusei only took 100 points of damage to his life points. Therefore, he didn't feel much pain!" Nah, I doubt he felt pain. A strong wind shouldn't bother him.

"I'm not done. When the Battle Phase begins, Rose Tentacles can attack again for every Plant-type monster on your field." The crowd begins to murmur, here we go. "And when it destroys a Plant-Type monster in battle, you take 300 points of damage."

"Whoa! There are four Plant-Type Ivy Tokens on Yusei's field! That means Aki Izayoi can attack four times! Then due to Rose Tentacle's monster effect, Yusei will take 300 points of damage!" People on the tier below are already getting up to leave at this. They know that there is a chance of them getting hurt. "And when Ivy Token is destroyed, he'll take 300 points of damage! That means for every attack, he will take 600 points of damage!" There's her strategy, alright.

"Rose Tentacles attacks Ivy Token! Thorn Whip One!" People are already ducking in their seats of anticipation. Yusei's life points drop to 3300. Instead of the tentacle simply hitting Yusei, it wraps around his right arm. I know what Izayoi is planning to do with him and I don't like it. "Thorn Whip Two!" This time the tentacle grabs his right leg and his life points drop to 2700. I don't have my duel disk on me, I can't save him from what's coming. I look around, most of the seats around me are empty. However, Yusei's friends are still hanging on. "Thorn Whip Three!" The tentacle grabs his left leg. My hands are shaking, the fear setting in. Yusei's life points dropping to 2100. Izayoi is panting, clearly feeling her energy draining from dueling back-to-back with her powers. "This is the final attack. Last Thorn Whip!" The final tentacle wraps around Yusei's torso and left arm. He is slowly carried into the air. I can't look anymore. My eyes are tight shut, with my hands over my ears. I can't bear to see what happens next. I can hear Yusei smashing into the ground, the shockwave of the impact spreads throughout the stadium. Tears are stinging in my eyes; I slowly open my eyes in fear of what I'm about to see.

"Whoa! Due to the explosions from Aki Izayoi's attacks, the stadium is in a huge panic! Like we thought, Aki Izayoi is..." The crowd finishes for the MC, crying 'witch' left, right and centre. The dust begins to settle; I can barely make out Yusei trying to stand up. I sigh in relief. Yusei's life points now stand at 1500.

"My turn." From the way he talks, he's clearly in pain. My heart hurts just looking at him. His speech and movements are slow; I wish I could continue the duel for him. "I summon Shield Warrior in defence position(DEF:1600). I set two cards and end my turn." Across from him, Izayoi is still panting. She has this big harrowing smile on her face like she's enjoying herself. I can anger brewing up inside me. "I finally know. I know one other emotion that lies beyond rejection and anger. Aki Izayoi, you enjoy the power of destruction. You feel joy from that power."

"I enjoy destruction?" Well, when you've suspended a man high in the air and sent him crashing to the ground, leaving him clearly in pain and you're _smiling_. Yes, you are enjoying it. The crowd is dead silent at this revelation, clearly horrified.

"My turn. I draw! I activate the Continuous Spell Ivy Shackles. During my turn, I can turn all monsters on your field into Plant-Type monsters. I change your Shield Warrior from Warrior-Type to Plant-Type. Next is Rose Tentacles' monster effect. When the Battle Phase begins, for every Plant-Type monster on your field, it increases the number of times it can attack. Therefore, Rose Tentacles can attack twice. Rose Tentacles attacks Shield Warrior! Thorn Whip!" The crowd screams as Izayoi attacks. "Shield Warrior is currently Plant-Type. When Rose Tentacles destroys a Plant-Type monster, you take 300 points of damage." Yusei's life points go from 1500 to 1200, as Izayoi smirks.

"So it's true that you enjoy destruction." Yusei keeps hammering this point, he's trying to get a response from Aki. Bad idea to be quite honest, but okay.

"Rose Tentacles attacks for a second time! It attacks you directly!" She clearly reacts to Yusei's words, but chooses to ignore them.

"I flip over my trap card Card Defence! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the direct attack from one of your monsters. Afterwards, I get to draw one card." Yusei once again makes a nice save.

"I end my turn."

"Izayoi, you enjoy dealing out pain." Yusei, trying to get a reaction here isn't going to help you in the _not getting hurt_ department.

"Enough. What are you talking about?" So basically, Izayoi said 'stop talking about that', then immediately said 'keeping talking about that'. Okay.

"My turn." And Yusei ignores her. Okay. "From my hand, I summon Junk Synchron(ATK:1300). Due to Junk Synchron's monster effect, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-below monster from my graveyard in defence position (Speed Warrior-DEF:400). Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 2 Speed Warrior! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Junk Warrior(ATK:2300)! Then from my hand, I activate the Equip Spell Junk Barrage! I equip it onto Junk Warrior. Junk Warrior attacks Rose Tentacles! Scrap Fist!" Izayoi's life points drop to 3900. "Next is Junk Barrage's effect. When the equipped monster destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to half that monster's attack points." Her life points drop again to 2800. "I end my turn."

"Izayoi took a lot of damage! That's why this is the finals! No one knows what's going to happen!" The crowd is cheering for Yusei to 'beat the witch'. Wow, this city is very divided on who they actually like.

"My turn. I draw! Due to the effect of the Continuous Spell Ivy Shackles, Junk Warrior changes from Warrior-Type to Plant-Type. I summon the Tuner Monster Copy Plant(DEF:0)!" A tuner monster? Here comes Black Rose Dragon, since she only has one Synchro Monster apparently. "Once a turn, Copy Plant selects one Plant-Type monster on the field and becomes the same Level. Copy Junk Warrior's Level(LV:1-5)! I activate the monster effect of Dark Verger in my graveyard. When a Plant-Type Tuner Monster is summoned, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard(ATK:0). Level 5 Copy Plant tunes Dark Verger! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!" The appearance of her dragon causes significantly less destruction and fear than the other times, this is good. "Black Rose Dragon's monster effect. By removing one Plant-Type monster in my graveyard from play, one of your monster's attack points become 0 during this turn. I remove Wall of Ivy from play. Rose Restriction! (ATK:2300-0)"

"Junk Warrior!" Yusei is awfully worried about his hologram, then the attack will hurt him more now, ah well.

"Black Rose Dragon attacks Junk Warrior! Black Rose Flare!"

"I activate Shield Warrior's monster effect from my graveyard! By removing this card in my graveyard from play, it negates the destruction of my monster due to battle!"

"However, you still take battle damage." If only those effects negate battle damage, duels would last so much longer.

"I flip over my trap card! Spirit Force! For one time only, the battle damage I take becomes 0!" Oops, never mind. The attack breaks the barrier on the track behind Yusei, the people in the front rows are scrambling in fear. "Due to Spirit Force's effect, one monster in my graveyard with 1500-or-fewer defence points is added to my hand." Yusei shows Izayoi his Junk Synchron card.

"I set two cards and end my turn." The crowd begins to heckle Izayoi once more. _Hang the witch_ , ouch, that one's not directed at me and it still hurt. "That's right. You're exactly right." Oh no. "I'm a witch. I'm a scary girl who enjoys dealing out pain." Izayoi begins to smile. It's almost as if the crowd _want_ her to go on a murder spree and kill them. "I enjoy it. I really enjoy using my power to deal pain to everyone who pushed me into isolation!" At this point, her eyes are wide and she has a crazed smile on her face. Well, there's no going back from here to be honest.

"My turn. I summon Junk Synchron from my hand(ATK:1300)! Due to Junk Synchron's monster effect, I can Special Summon Speed Warrior(DEF:400)!" Junk Warrior's attack points increase by Speed Warrior's 900 to 3200. "Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 5 Junk Warrior! Wishes come together to form a new shining star! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" I'm honestly surprised Yusei would get rid of Junk Warrior with its high ATK, but then I remember Stardust's effect.

"This is the first time I've seen this dragon! What an incredible sight!" Well it is one of a kind and it's probably been in the Satellite for more than a decade.

"This is a detestable mark. I despise this mark. If I didn't have this power, I..." Oh yes, the infamous 'if I didn't have these powers' downward spiral of thoughts.

"You wouldn't have felt joy from the power. You would not have gained pleasure from people's pain." Is Yusei _still_ continuing this?

"That's right." Wow, finally, some affirmation. "This mark is a detestable symbol carved into me by a monster that surpasses humanity. That's why I hate myself." Well, I'm a psychic and that's not why I hate myself. Also what monster _surpasses humanity_? "I can't hold back my feelings of destruction. I felt that I shouldn't be allowed to live." Please don't go into that downward spiral of thoughts right now, hun. "However, the stronger those feelings became, the more it transformed into impulses for destruction. So I stopped being me. I created another version of myself." Izayoi holds up her mask. "My masked version wasn't me." In that moment, Raiden popped into my head. Somehow, I understood Izayoi. "I didn't care if I enjoyed destruction and laughed at pain. That's when Divine taught me that I didn't need a mask and I should just be me. Those words saved me. I'm fine as long as I remain alive. I won't think of anything anymore. I'll just only feel."

"You have to think for yourself!" I suddenly wonder why Yusei is going so far for Izayoi, when he simply stared at me, speechless.

"I don't care. Divine will think for me." My head is warring with thoughts of Yusei and Raiden. Perhaps Izayoi and Divine have a similar relationship to Raiden and I.

"Don't run from your problems, Izayoi!"

"It can't be helped. There's nothing I can do." I can see a mirror of myself in Izayoi, I know that pain and anger, the helplessness.

"Yes there is! There's a version of you who doesn't approve of your joy! As long as those feelings exist, you can start over! You can save yourself!" The more Yusei reaches out to Izayoi, the more bitter I feel. I don't understand it, why does Yusei reaching out to a fellow psychic make me so _alone_?

"Be quiet."

"Stardust Dragon attacks Black Rose Dragon! Roar, Shooting Sonic!" Izayoi's life points fall to 2700.

"I'll just only feel. I'll feel pain and strife from you." She finally puts on that mask of hers. Somehow, the crowd is surprised and begins to call her a witch again.

"Izayoi." One word from Yusei and I feel like I'm being stabbed in the heart. Why am I feeling like this?

"My turn. I draw." Izayoi's voice is slightly muffled from the mask. "I activate Magic Planter. By sending a Continuous Spell on the field to the graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck. The Continuous Trap Wicked Rebirth. By paying 800 life points, I can Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard." Her life points drop to 1900. "I resurrect Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400). Wicked Rebirth is equipped onto Black Rose Dragon. The equipped monster cannot attack this turn. And when the Equip Card is no longer on the field, that monster is destroyed. Furthermore, if the equipped monster is destroyed due to something other than this card's effect, then it is Special Summoned at the End Phase. Black Rose Dragon's monster effect. When it is successfully Special Summoned, all cards on the field are destroyed. Black Rose Gale!" The usual theatrics occur with wind and petals everywhere. I keep gripping my wig to make sure it doesn't fly off. Yusei turns for a split second, looking in my direction. I know he isn't looking for me, but it still warms my heart.

"I activate Stardust Dragon's monster effect! By releasing Stardust Dragon, an effect that destroys cards is negated and destroyed! Victim Sanctuary!" Stardust manages to wrap its wings around Black Rose Dragon and they both fade away.

"I'm not done. I summon Phoenician Seed(ATK:800). Due to Phoenician Seed's monster effect, I can release this card to Special Summon Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis(ATK:2200). Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis attacks Speed Warrior. Flame Petal! After Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis attacks, it self-destructs. Scatter Flame! And it deals 800 points of damage." Yusei's life points go from 1200 to 400, as Izayoi's masks begins to break, showing her twisted smile underneath. "I set one card."

"When Stardust Dragon activates its monster effect, it resurrects during this turn's End Phase(ATK:2500)!"

"Due to the effect of Wicked Rebirth, I Special Summon Black Rose Dragon during the End Phase(ATK:2400)! Then I activate the Continuous Trap Overdoom Line. The monster that I Special Summoned from my graveyard gains 1000 attack points(ATK:2400-3400). Then due to Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis's monster effect, it resurrects in defence position(DEF:0). I end my turn."

"My turn. I switch Stardust Dragon to defence position(ATK-DEF:2500-2000)! From my hand, I activate the Equip Spell Prevention Star. I can equip it onto a monster when the monster switches to defence position. Once per turn, I can select one of your monsters. That monster cannot attack nor change battle position. I select Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis!"

"The trap card Synchro Back. I return one Synchro Monster on my field to the Extra Deck. I select Black Rose Dragon." Izayoi interrupts Yusei. That card now allows Izayoi to Special Summon Black Rose during her next Standby Phase, which is very soon.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw. Due to Synchro Back's effect, I resurrect Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!"

"I know you're not enjoying this." Yusei's insistence is starting to make me feel bitter.

"Be quiet!" This insistence might make things end badly for Yusei.

"You're in pain, aren't you? The time has come for you to change. The joy of destruction has been tormenting you. And that pain... That pain is changing to something we both share because we have the same mark." A mark? I don't remember Yusei having anything like that. "The mark has guided us. The pain is trying to tell us something. In order to know the answer, you have to think for yourself. This mark holds the answer! Don't let others think for you. You have to think for yourself." His words strike a chord deep within me. He likes her, doesn't he? Why else would he pursue such a futile goal like trying to make Izayoi change? I don't blame him, Izayoi is very pretty and holds herself well.

"What will a witch like me think about? As long as Divine guides and loves me, that's enough!" I'm torn between the pain I feel and the feelings I share with Izayoi. I should forget about Yusei and run back to Raiden, forgetting this ever happened.

"You're wrong! You have to love yourself!"

"If I could do that... If I could... I'm in pain because I can't!" Izayoi's hair clip falls out once again, meaning she's lost control of her powers. Again. "Black Rose Dragon's monster effect activates! Black Rose Gale!" The wind in the stadium is much fiercer, completely breaking the barrier behind Yusei. "All cards on the field are destroyed!"

"I'll keep taking it! Send out all your sadness! Victim Sanctuary!" Stardust once again wraps its wings around Black Rose Dragon. It cries and fights back, but it's for nought and they both disappear.

"The pain is fading... Now Phoenician Cluster Amaryllis is free of Prevention Star's curse! Your field is wide open. If I successfully attack you directly, I win! Everything must vanish. Don't make me think. You're a detestable foe!"

"Then why are you crying?" It's hard to see, but a tear is definitely flowing from underneath her mask. "The trap card Cosmic Blast! When a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster leaves my field, it deals damage equal to that monster's attack points!" The mask falls off Izayoi's face as her life points hit 0.

"Help me..." She cries out for help with tears rolling down her face.

"Izayoi!" The tone of his voice is the final nail in the coffin. The crowd is screaming at the top of their lungs. _Serves you right, witch! Go home to your witch's nest!_ Their words no longer affect me. Divine walks onto the stage and wraps his jacket around Izayoi.

"You did your best, Aki. Now let's go back together." In that moment, I saw myself and Raiden. Now, I just feel confused. I want to leave right now, but I must save face.

"There's a winner! Yusei Fudo!" I don't look at Yusei, my eyes follow Izayoi and Divine.


	9. The Man Who Would Be King

After the destruction left in the wake of Izayoi, my side of the stadium is basically empty. Some smaller children are crying; I wonder how psychics look to someone that age. Shinji and Reika are contemplating leaving, I'm surprised they haven't left yet, neither have Kaoru or Emiko. I'm staying right where I am. There's more to this 'mark' and 'Crimson Dragon' situation, I can feel it. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I see Yusei running up the stairs. He makes direct eye contact with me. He clearly doesn't recognise me in my disguise, since his facial expression hardens. He reaches his friends a couple of rows behind me.

"Everyone, hurry and leave this stadium." He tells them, I'm grateful for my above-average hearing at this point.

"But Bro, you still have your battle against the King."

"There are four Signers in this stadium. It's too dangerous if Signers battle against each other. You should know because you just watched my duel." Signers? Are they connected to that Crimson Dragon? What has Yusei got himself involved in?

"But Yusei, what about your friends?" I hear the voice of Ruka. At the word 'friends', my heart lifts slightly. Could that involve me?

"I'll talk with Godwin. You should leave here immediately." That proves it, Yusei has gotten himself involved with Godwin. I feel physically sick. He should definitely know who Godwin is, how could he? And what's worse is that I'm not part of the 'friends' Ruka was talking about. Yusei runs back down the stairs, I stare at his back. A part of me wants to cry, I know that I shouldn't be having such strong feelings towards this, but I can't help it. As I watch Yusei's friends walk down the stairs behind him, I remember the dream I had last night. Kiryu's pale, thin face stands out in my mind. I'm still not sure why Kiryu was in my dream, or why that dream was so vivid. I feel like that dream is trying to tell me something, but the place I saw was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Am I just being too hopeful in thinking this dream will come true? The more time passes, the more I've given up on seeing Crow or Kiryu again. Given how things with Jack and Yusei have gone, I'm not sure I even want to see them anymore. My mind shuts itself off before I can continue that downward spiral of thoughts again.

"Everybody listen! The special match will now begin! There were unexpected accidents, but the Fortune Cup continues!" The MC's voice proclaims as they show a giant projection of Jack and Yusei in the middle of the stadium. My eyes follow Yusei on his D-Wheel as he arrives at the starting point. Jack follows shortly behind.

"Yusei, in this duel, we will determine who is the true King!" I'm not sure why I'm still here, I don't want to watch this duel. Still, I feel like I'll miss out on something huge if I leave.

"However, if the Crimson Dragon appears again, then we won't escape unharmed!" Again? What is really going on here?

"So you're scared? If that happened, I'll make the Crimson Dragon's power mine!" Jack knows about it too. Though, that shouldn't surprise me given the fact he's affiliated with Godwin.

"Field Spell Speed World, set on! Speed World now controls the field! The only spells that can be activated are Speed Spells! Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The crowd cheers as the countdown reaches 0 and the D-Wheels set off.

"As the challenger, you get to go first!" Yusei is really challenging Jack for the title of King. Could that be all he's really after in the City? Am I really selfish enough to think that he came looking for me?

"My turn! I summon Shield Wing in defence position(DEF:900)! I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn!" Both Yusei's and Jack's Speed Counter are now 1. "I summon Twin Breaker(ATK:1600)! Twin Breaker attacks Shield Wing! When Twin Breaker's attack points are greater than your monster's defence points, the difference is dealt to you as damage!" Yusei loses 700 life points, leaving him at 3300. "I knew that you would summon a monster in defence position. In a duel, a King always thinks one step ahead of his opponent." I scoff, isn't that a pretty standard strategy? Unlike Jack, most people don't go for straight-out offense.

"However, Shield Wing cannot be destroyed until the second attack during a single turn." It's strange that Yusei hasn't used that monster until now, given the fact he's been in three duels till now, would have been helpful.

"You fool! When Twin Breaker attacks a monster in defence position, it can attack again!" Okay not now, but you get what I mean.

"What?"

"Even among kings, this King thinks two steps ahead." Jack, stop trying to talk yourself up. "Go! Double Assault!" Yusei's life points drop to 2600. "I set one card and end my turn! In this duel, I will show you the pride of a King!"

"My turn!" Their Speed Counters increase to 2. "I summon Junk Synchron from my hand(ATK:1300). Junk Synchron tunes Shield Wing. Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Junk Warrior(ATK:2300)! Scrap Fist!" Jack's life points drop to 3300. "Then the Continuous Trap Synchro Blast! With this card, when a Synchro Monster attacks, you take 500 points of damage!" His life points drop once again to 2800.

"You're finally getting serious. My turn!" Jack starts his turn, causing both his and Yusei's Speed Counters to become 3. "I summon Dark Tinker from my hand(ATK:1000)! Then I activate my trap card Powerful Rebirth! This card lets me Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my graveyard, and then it becomes an Equip Card (Twin Breaker-ATK:1600)! The monster resurrected using Power Rebirth gains 100 attacks and defence points and one Level(ATK:1600-1700/LV:4-5)."

"What?"

"You idiots, carve this into your soul! The King of Kings duels three steps ahead!" Welcome to counting to three with Jack Atlas. "Dark Tinker tunes Twin Breaker! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"Red Daemon's Dragon." Yusei is almost acting surprised. Why? It's Jack's ace monster.

"Due to Dark Tinker's monster effect, I draw a card! Yusei, listen and learn!" Jack drives on his D-Wheel backwards to face Yusei. "Everyone is powerless against the King! This is the power of the King! Absolute Powerforce!" I hate the theatrics Jack puts on when he duels now, it's just for the crowd.

"The King's Red Daemon's Dragon destroys Junk Warrior!" The MC screams at the top of his lungs as Yusei's life points drop to 1900.

"See that, Yusei? Weak excuses don't work against the King!" Jack finally turns around and drives normally. "The only thing left for you after this duel will be defeat! I set three cards and end my turn!" I look up at the sky, it's become overcast very quickly. This isn't normal, the clouds are strange colour. My body is telling me that something's wrong.

"My turn!" Their Speed Counters increase once again; they now stand at 4. "I activate my trap Descending Lost Star! I lower the Level of a Synchro Monster in my graveyard by one and Special Summon it to the field with 0 defence points! Resurrect, Junk Warrior(DEF:1300-0/LV:5-4)! Then I summon Hyper Synchron(ATK:1600)! Level 4 Hyper Synchron tunes the now Level 4 Junk Warrior! Clustering wishes come together to form a new shining star! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" At Stardust's appearance, my head begins to hurt again. I look up at Red Daemon's and Stardust, then at the strange clouds, could those dragons could be causing this?

"You've arrived, Stardust!" Jack was anticipating Stardust. Why? What reason could he have? Yusei could turn around the game by using Stardust.

"Stardust Dragon has appeared! Will we finally see the main monsters of these rivals battle?" Clearly.

"Hyper Synchron's monster effect activates! When Hyper Synchron is used a Synchro Material, the Synchro Monster gains 800 attack points(ATK:2500-3300)!"

"Now I activate my trap! Tuner Capture! When the opponent Synchro Summons, I can Special Summon a Synchro Material Monster from your graveyard! Join my field! Come, Hyper Synchron(DEF:800)!"

"Whoa! The King resurrected Yusei's monster onto his field!" After this duel, I don't have to deal with this MC. I just keep telling myself that.

"Stardust Dragon attacks Red Daemon's Dragon!"

"The King already knows what you're planning to do!" If Jack keeps referring to himself as 'The King', I'm going to go down there and beat him myself. "I activate my trap! Tuner's Mind! When my Synchro Monster is attacked, it reverts back to its Synchro Material Monsters(DEF:1000/DEF:1300)!"

"Stardust Dragon attacks Twin Breaker! Roar! Shooting Sonic!" Twin Breaker isn't destroyed to Yusei's surprise, but instead Dark Tinker. "What?"

"I told you! I already know all your strategies! The Tuner Monster that appeared due to Tuner's Mind must battle your attacking monster!" That's not predicting Yusei's strategy, that's your card's effect.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Synchro Blast!" Jack's life points drop to 2300. "With Synchro Blast, when my Synchro Monster attacks, you take 500 points of damage!"

"Since Dark Tinker was sent to the graveyard, I get to draw one card."

"I end my turn."

"My turn!" As usual, Speed Counters now increase, standing at 5. "Hyper Synchro tunes Twin Breaker! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)! Look at this sight! My most powerful servant and I walk the path of the King together! Since Hyper Synchron was used as Synchro Material, Red Daemon's Dragon gains 800 attack points(ATK:3000-3800)!"

"It's coming!" Jack's not a psychic, you're fine Yusei.

"Take this! Absolute Powerforce!"

"Since Hyper Synchron was used as Synchro Material, Stardust Dragon isn't destroyed in battle!" Yusei's life points drop to 1400.

"I know that! I activate my trap Fiend Cannon! If I failed to destroy your monster in battle, you take 500 points of damage!" Yusei's life points drop once again to 900, as the strange clouds begin swirling above stadium. Red lightning strikes the projection of Yusei and Jack inside the stadium. "It's here!" What's here? Oh no, this is how I'm going to die.

"Crimson Dragon." The red lightening forms a body of lava, which morphs into a dragon whose body is nearly the length of the track. It roars, my whole body shakes from its power.

"Am I seeing things?" The MC is emulating what everyone in this stadium feels. The crowd is questioning the appearance of the dragon. This 'Crimson Dragon' begins making laps around the stadium. Just by looking at it, I can feel its power. But still, I feel ill from its very presence, which confuses me. Is this why I felt ill during Ruka's duel too?

"We finally meet, Crimson Dragon! Watch our duel closely!" This fact they're continuing this duel when literal _lightning_ struck the stadium astounds me. I look up at Godwin's tower, he is clearly up to something. It's so obvious, but what?

"Jack, this is dangerous! If we continue this duel, I don't know what will happen!" Finally, some sense around here.

"Are you scared, Yusei? A person who's afraid of the future doesn't have the right to be a duelist! Even if heaven and earth are destroyed, I'll continue this duel!" Jack's just being stupid, he lies if he says that he's not afraid of the future. The dragon roars once again, creating a literal whirlwind in the stadium. I grip onto my wig tightly once again. I can't shield my face from the wind, it feels like the wind is cutting my face, it's that sharp. The Crimson Dragon begins to fly up out of the stadium. With its tails close to the ground, it stretches out its wings well above the stadium. My head throbs at this, my eyes tight shut.

When I open my eyes, I'm having that dream again. Kiryu's eyes are looking straight into mine. The rainbow lights everywhere make the colour of his eyes change, his sclera are much darker than they should. The thinness of his face is burnt into my mind. This time, I can hear people shouting. Something about the Crimson Dragon, Signers and resurrection. _Don't trust them._ A voice calls out. Don't trust who? The Crimson Dragon and the Signers, or Kiryu? I feel the ground collapse underneath me, I reach for Kiryu. He stands looking down at me as I fall, still and unmoving. I try to close my eyes in an effort to wake myself up, but they immediately snap back open. I see Yusei falling after me, he's stretching his hand out for mine. No matter how much I want to stretch my hand out, it won't move. Seeing his face makes anger boil up in my stomach. Then, everything goes black. I open my eyes and I'm standing looking at Yusei. He's shouting something at me, but I can't hear anything he's saying and this dream is too blurry for me to read his lips. I begin to sink into the ground, I reach out for someone, anyone. Crow suddenly appears a bit away from me, but it's too late as everything turns black.

When I come back to reality, I jump. I look at the track to see that Jack's fallen off his D-Wheel. I look up at the sky to see that it's no longer overcast, with a perfect blue sky.

"Hey!" Shinji calls out to me. I look up at him, I still trying to catch my breath from that dream. "Are you okay? You just passed out!" I'm still in my chair, which is a good sign.

"Yeah, what happened?" I move to sit up properly.

"The dragon started flying up from the stadium." Reika answers me in a panic. "There was a bright light and you passed out. Jack and Yusei disappeared too. They just appeared when you woke up. Are you sure you're okay? You don't look it."

"I'm fine, just a weird dream." Stardust and Red Daemon's are in the middle of the stadium, frozen and blackened. They start to slowly fade away. I glance at the scoreboard and freeze. "Guys, look up at the scoreboard! Yusei won." I glance at the track and see Yusei running up to the crashed Jack.

"What happened? It's finally over! The winner is Yusei Fudo!" Projections of Yusei are shown all around the stadium. "King Jack Atlas's undefeated legend is over, and we're witnessing the birth of a new King!" Yusei is King? How? They disappeared off the track and suddenly he's King? This isn't right, this can't be true. "The new King's name is Yusei Fudo! Yusei Fudo is the new King! The new King is from Satellite!" That's not possible, my breathing starts to quicken again. It's a fix, it has to be. Why else would they disappear? I'm confused and hurt, I keep thinking about that dream. _Don't trust them._ It's the Crimson Dragon I'm not supposed to trust. Anger starts boiling up inside me. I get up and leave my seat. I keep walking, not looking back. All I can hear is people cheering Yusei's name. He must have cheated. He wasn't on the track, there's no record of what happened. The last four years I've dreamt about meeting Yusei again. I wish I hadn't. All Yusei wanted was power, just like Jack. My hands are shaking violently. When I get out of the stadium, all I see are projections of Yusei's face everywhere. I can feel tears burning in my eyes, I finally take my sunglasses off as the tears roll down my face.


	10. Misfortune

I'm lucky that I was in work that day after the Fortune Cup ended. I thought I'd never say something like that, but okay. I don't think I could have stood being outside for too long with pictures of Yusei everywhere. Work was very bland and boring as usual. Sew that dress, fix that seam. Though, dealing with the shop's owner, Mrs. Kimura, was not a pleasant experience. Due to hatred of Satellites, she was livid that Yusei managed to win the title. It's a miracle I'm still working there, I only got the job there because Mrs. Kimura is Raiden's mother. I don't think she would fire me really, in fear of hurting her precious son's feelings. I managed to fall asleep as soon as I got home, only to be confused as to why I was so hungry when I woke up.

All I think about since the end of the Fortune Cup was that dream I had. I think the dream was telling not to trust the Crimson Dragon, but what are the Signers? Are they linked? If Yusei is a Signer, does that mean I shouldn't trust him? Was I actually seeing the future, or was it a jumbled mess of random imagery I made up? I'm giving myself a headache from all this thinking. I've decided to go the library in hopes of finding out more about this Crimson Dragon. As I walk, I check my phone for the first time today. 27 missed calls from Raiden. Oh no, that's not good. He must know that I went to the Fortune Cup on the second day. I text him, telling him that I'm in the library and I'll call him later. That'll do, hopefully. As I walk up to the library, I try and plan how to best spend my time, since I could look at books or the internet. Then, I realise that most of those books would be e-books by this stage and immediately head for the computers.

I'm not getting much information on the Crimson Dragon, as there aren't many reliable sources. I try searching things related to it. Then, I space out, and suddenly I realise that it's been ten minutes and I'm looking at cute pictures of cats. From what I can gather, the Crimson Dragon is some sort of deity worshipped thousands of years ago by the People of the Stars. The Dragon's power manifests itself in marks on people called Signers. That doesn't help me at all. Can I even believe something that is basically folklore? Even just searching the Crimson Dragon brings up articles covering the title match of the Fortune Cup, which just frustrates me more. I realise that I will probably have to find Yusei to sort this out, something I'd rather not do. Apparently, Yusei has being avoiding the press ever since they start questioning the legitimacy of his title. Which means I have to go look for him myself. I suppose I could drop into Saiga and get him to find Yusei for me, since I have the money because I bet on Yusei beating Jack.

I stare on my phone. For some reason, I feel like someone is going to call me. I suppose I should leave since I'm not going to get much more done. As I leave, I try to plan what I'm going to do. I suppose I should head over to Saiga in the morning. I might go for a run tonight, haven't done that in a couple of days. As I'm thinking, my phone begins to ring. It's Raiden. I mean, who else would it be? I sigh before answering.

"Are you done in the library yet?" No greeting, just getting right to the point.

"Yeah, what did you wanna talk about?"

"You should come over to mine right now."

"Why? I was thinking of going for a run." Not right now, but he doesn't know that.

"We need to talk." Ah yes, those four words that instil fear into the heart of anyone who hears it.

"What about?" I know what this is about, I went to the Fortune Cup on the second day when he told me not to.

"Just come over, okay." He hangs up the phone, rude. I sigh, I figure I should just head over. I'm not happy as to _why_ I'm going over, but hey, what can you do? I take my time in walking over, preparing myself for the _arguments_ Raiden's about to make.

People are still talking about Yusei becoming King. It reminds me of the time Jack became King, though I felt completely different. I remember how happy I felt when I first saw Jack on the big screens. I had been in the City for two years by this point, and I still missed everyone back in the Satellite. I had managed to get behind the scenes at one of his matches. I asked one of the security guards to tell Jack that his ' _friend_ Yuuka' was looking for him. I honestly wished I hadn't. This big, burly security guard stood over me, towering my then-tiny build and said that the King wouldn't associate himself with Satellite scum like me. Of course, I must be lying since I'm marked, as all marked people are cheating liars. My fists clench at the memory. Jack threw away his identity in a blind pursuit of power. That very thought makes me sick to the stomach. He never made an attempt to look for me, and when I went him to look for him, I get turned away at the door. That just make me feel like he forgot about me, like the thought never crossed Jack's mind that I could be in the City. I'm reminded of this every time I see Jack Atlas's face. I don't want to feel the same whenever I see Yusei, I doubt my heart could take it. But how am I supposed to feel? They've both aligned themselves with Rex Godwin, the man who essentially caused us to split in the first place, who ran Security which caused us such fear back then. I'm sick of feeling betrayed and alone, but that's all I can feel now. I try to put these thoughts to the back of my mind, and hurry up to meet Raiden.

When I get to Raiden's, I'm still not, mentally, ready for it. I knock on the door; he opens the door almost instantly. As I walk in, I can already tell the atmosphere is going to be tense between us. We sit down on the couch as usual. We don't talk for a while; he's not looking at me. A part of me actually feels guilty, even though I've done nothing wrong.

"Shinji told me you went to the second day of the Fortune Cup." Oh no, here we go.

"Yeah, in a disguise." Please, don't do this again.

"It doesn't matter; do you know what could have happened?" He's raised his voice. Yes, I know.

"Of course I did, that's why I wore the disguise."

"I told you it doesn't matter! He could have recognised your voice. What if he dragged you home and we never saw each other again?" He keeps snapping at me. Why does he always make me feel so guilty?

"I would have defended myself, I'm stronger than I used to be." He just scoffs.

"What were you doing at the library anyway?" He looks at me pointedly.

"Just researching that Crimson Dragon that appeared during the finals."

"Why would you bother?" He scoffs again.

"Well, I wanted to know what it was." My hands start shaking as he stares at me.

"Did you find anything out?"

"Not really, it looks like some old deity from thousands of years ago." I'm trying to play it calm, and I don't think it's working.

"I don't think that's all." His eyes bore into mine. "There's something else. I don't think it's a coincidence that it appeared during the final. You know both of them, there's something you're not telling me."

"There's nothing, that's all I know." I'm afraid to tell him about Yusei being a Signer, and that I suspect Jack is one as well. He wouldn't believe me, call me a liar and I fear what would happen after that.

"Hmm." He seems to buy it. "But what about that Yusei guy? You said he was just a friend, but it doesn't seem like it. What, do you like him or something?"

"No. He's a friend, that's all." Technically, yes. Have I wished that wasn't the case? Of course.

"Well, Shinji said that you put money on him to win. I don't know about you, but that seems a bit off to me." I would have done the same if Crow or Kiryu appeared on the stage instead of Yusei.

"Well, I knew he would win."

"Then, what did he say when you ran into him?" How does he know about that?

"Nothing."

"Of course, he did. He obviously forgot about you and panicked." If he's saying it, does that mean I'm right? "I mean, if that were me, I would have had you in my arms and not let you go." He looks right in my eyes. My hands are shaking worse now, he grabs them and they steady a little. This is what Yusei used to do when I was scared or nervous. I take my hands back and stare at them. All I can think about are those moments just between Yusei and I back then, why I liked him in the first place. But, all I can see is Yusei's face just staring back at me, his lips unmoving. "I say forget about him and just stay here." I can't forget him, I haven't forgotten him in the last four years and I never will.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"We grew up together, we were so close back then and we can be now. I need to look for him." I move to stand up.

"You can't!" He stands up before I do, he towers over me. "Can't you see he doesn't care about you? If you go look for him, he'll just turn you away! Do you want a repeat of what happened with Jack Atlas?" I feel enraged that he even mentioned that.

"But what if he doesn't?" My voice begins to rise as I stand up to meet him. "What then? Will I just wonder for the rest of my life what could have happened? I'm going to regret it if I don't go."

"Don't go because I don't want to deal with your tears when you come back alone!"

"You know what," I take a deep breath to try calm myself down, "I will go. But I won't come back here." Raiden tries to call after me as I walk out the door. I know he calls after me, but I just run until I reach my apartment.

Once again, I sit with my back to the door. I can feel the tears burning in my eyes. This is the second time it's happened in four days. I keep saying I won't go back to him, I always do. I can't help it, he helped me in my darkest days. After my powers activated and I broke Kaoru's arm, I left my _mother's_ house and went to live with my dad. My dad is fairly relaxed, so he let me do what I wanted. I never told him about my powers, apparently Kaoru made up a story as to how he 'broke' his arm. I ended up spending most of my time around the Daimon Area. I started talking to a girl called Anako, a psychic like me. She put me into contact with Raiden, who she was dating at the time, which was weird to be honest. Then, Anako moved away a year and a half ago without warning or reason, and I haven't seen her since. I'm closer than ever with Raiden despite our constant fighting. Raiden, being a psychic himself, taught that it's okay to love myself despite my powers. He gave me comfort when I had nightmares about that day where I hurt Kaoru. He helped me become stronger, I'm no longer that weak, fragile girl from the Satellite. I can control my powers now. He cares for me so much, that he says he can't express it in the right way. I suppose you could say I love him, but I don't. In our closer moments, I always felt guilty. My mind always went back to Yusei in the Satellite, I had always hoped that I would find him again and that we could be together like I always wanted. Now, I have that chance. And I'm hesitating, why? I stare at my hands again, they've stopped shaking. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I call out. I swear if it's Raiden.

"It's Shinji." Phew, I can deal with Shinji right now. I stand up from my place against the door and open it.

"Yeah, what do you want?" I try to look stoic as usual, trying to hide the many emotions I've been having today.

"Raiden said you haven't been returning his calls. So, I just wanted to see if you were okay." I'm confused, has Raiden called me since I left his apartment?

"Really, I was just talking to him." That's great Yuuka, _don't_ make it seem like you two were fighting.

"Oh, he texted me this morning and I've been in work all day." I look outside and see that the sun is starting to set. I invite Shinji inside.

My apartment is tiny, only two rooms actually. The only place I could afford on my technically illegal low wages. A small kitchen comprised of a small stove, a fridge, a sink and some cupboards lies on the immediate left on the door. My bed lies across nearly the entire far wall, next to my dresser that keeps practically everything I own. A bathroom lies on the immediate right when you come in the door. It's small, but it's mine.

"At least you don't have my hours." Shinji takes a seat on the end of my bed, the only place to sit. I sit beside him.

"I know, I'm glad." He laughs. The amount of money I get for the hours I work is a joke. Mrs. Kimura can get away with it since I'm marked and very few of us can actually get jobs. I bet a part of her is secretly glad she hired me, it's practically slave labour.

"Are okay though?" Shinji suddenly becomes serious; I hate when this happens. "You left, like, right after the title match ended. And you haven't talked to anyone since."

"Oh I'm fine, I decided to go home since I fainted. I probably needed the rest considering I feel asleep after I got home from work yesterday. I even forgot to eat!" I fake a laugh. He seems to buy the lie.

"Have you looked for Yusei yet? Since you seemed pretty happy to see him the other day." I was waiting for this. Raiden has probably put him up to this.

"No yet. Tomorrow morning, I'm going over to Saiga. I have no idea where he is right now."

"Well, we could go over now. I mean, he lives near the garage where Reika works and she'll be off soon." He shrugs his shoulders. In the interest of not leaving me by myself, Shinji insists on bringing me places alongside his girlfriend. It's been like this for a year and a half by now. This is what happens when you befriend two people _before_ they get together. That, or they ignore you completely. Either or, to be honest. Though, the thought of seeing Yusei and sorting out this mess sounds like a good idea.

"Sure, why not?" It's not a particularly long walk to Saiga's 'hideout'. I know Saiga from some business I've done with him before. For someone who is a _mysterious jack of all trades_ , I see him pretty often. Maybe that's because I often hang out in the bar where he gets most of his business, ah well. As I walk up the road, I can't help but feel nervous. I'm not expecting to see Yusei here or anything, but I feel this visit will change everything. I don't know why; I'm just asking Saiga to find Yusei for me. It's a simple job with a simple result. I realise that Shinji has been telling about his day for a good amount of time. Retail is an awful place.

"And then she just walks out. Like who puts stuff worth a fortune on the counter, and then realises they have no money on them and leaves?" I'm so grateful he said that last part, now he won't know I wasn't listening.

"I don't know, people in this City are crazy."

"You have no idea."

"Mm, pretty sure I do." I hate when people make comments like that, just because I spent fourteen years of my life in the Satellite and I am from the Satellite, doesn't mean that I don't know how this City is.

I can't think of anything to say and clearly neither does Shinji as we reach the building. We climb up the stairs to reach his apartment. My heart is beating wildly in my chest; I can't shake that feeling. I knock on the door and there's no response.

"Oh Saiga! Open the door, I know someone's in there. It's Sasaki." I can sense people inside; I can hear them whispering. Judging by the whispers, there's more than two in there. My eyes widen when I sense an aura. I recognise it almost instantly, it belongs to that girl Ruka. I go to knock on the door again when it opens. I'm surprised when I'm face-to-face with the group Yusei was talking to at the Fortune Cup.

"Sorry, Saiga's in the Satellite and I don't know when he'll be back." The tallest man says before I can open my mouth. I recognise him as Himuro who challenged Jack a while back.

"Oh really, shame. I really needed help in finding Yusei Fudo." I try being subtle. If Yusei was actually here, I probably would have seen him inside the room by now.

"Yusei Fudo? Why do you need to find him?" Success.

"Well, I'm his childhood friend from the Satellite." I point to my marker on my cheek. "We got separated a few years back and I need to find him."

"Well," Shinji pipes up, "You may recognise her from the first day of the Fortune Cup where she talked to Yusei on the stairs near you all. If you forgot, she's the girl who looked like she got struck by Cupid's arrow."

"Shut up Shinji!" I try to fight the rouge threatening to show on my cheeks.

"I only speak the truth." I glare daggers at him before I turn back to the people in front of me.

"Wait, are you Yuuka?" Ruka asks. I look her in the eyes and nod. I'm getting a good read of her aura now. I can't get any distinguishable emotion from her. Though, I'm somewhat relieved that Yusei mentioned my name.

"Woah, you're friends with Yusei too?" Ruka's twin chimes in, I nod at him as well.

"Would you be as kind as to tell me where he is?" I try play up my politeness in my favour.

"Yeah, he left for the Satellite about an hour ago." Himuro answers me. I can't believe my luck. If I had come here after I left the library, I would have met him here. I close my eyes and rest my fingertips on my bottom lip.

"I'm going to the Satellite." I look up at Shinji.

"You can't be serious." Shinji is in disbelief.

"Yeah, I told you, I need to find him. I think the last boat has already left though." I pout, honestly I'm disappointed. "Right, thank you, goodnight. I'll be taking my leave." I smile at Ruka, and she gives me a small one back. I flash them a peace sign and leave. I drag Shinji back down the stairs. My face falls, showing my true emotions and I sigh.

"Don't worry. You can just go in the morning and find him then."

"Don't you get it? A couple of hours can make a difference. I haven't been there in years, I could get lost and never find him." That thought is so unpleasant that I feel sick. My asthma is probably going to flare up from all of this dust and smog in the Satellite. I know that me going to the Satellite is going to change my life, I can feel it. Four years is an awfully long time.


	11. Journey to the Past

I'm having that dream again. I'm staring at Kiryu again as I fall into the bright light. Now, I'm standing, facing Yusei again. He keeps shouting at me, but I can't hear a single word coming from his mouth. The only difference this time is that Yusei is battered and bruised. There are small cuts dotted all over his face, with blood smeared all over him. I manage to get a look at what is around us. It's mostly dark, except for bright purple flames in the distance. When I look back towards Yusei, he's vanished and all that remains is a pool of blood on the ground. I feel my stomach churning as I look at the blood. I close my eyes, only to realise that I had woken up from the dream. I look at my hands, relieved to find out that I'm no longer wearing those blood-stained gloves, but instead my hands are completely bare and dry. I can't sleep now, my mind keeps going back to that pool of blood. I manage to ward away those thoughts long enough to doze off for a couple of hours at a time.

When my body gives up on desperately chasing sleep, I look at my phone to find out that it's five o'clock in the morning. I have just under an hour to get to the port to catch the first boat to the Satellite. I sit up in my bed and look around my room. I have an itch to clean, but since I cleaned my apartment last night, there's nothing for me to do. My hands are shaking; all I can think about is what might be waiting in the Satellite for me. What if I don't want to see how things have changed? I suppose I'll have to face whatever comes my way when I get there. I've made my decision and I can't turn back now. I get out of the bed and search for my winnings in my drawer. I manage to find the tin with my money in it fairly quickly. The tin actually came free with some offer years ago, it's actually quite pretty for a freebie with its cute floral patterns. I shove all the money and my phone into the spare deck-holder in my belt, since I don't do Riding Duels of course.

I leave my apartment and start walking towards the port. Leaving early means that I can gather my thoughts and become ready for the human communication since I'll have to do to get on the boat. The outskirts of the City are so peaceful at this hour of the morning. So few people are around that all I can hear is the small sounds of the City waking up. Even though, somewhere rush hour will be starting soon. I love that slightly salty smell that constantly hovers around the docks. Though I wouldn't like to go for a swim anytime soon, since the Sound is the single most disgusting body of water in existence. How typical of this City to have the marked and Satellite population closest to it. I walk around the docklands looking for that one boat Saiga told me about years ago. I spot a few people getting onto a boat in the distance, I start jogging until I reach it.

"Oi, you going to the Satellite?" I speak in a hushed voice. The middle-aged pot-bellied standing on the edge of the dock turns around to me.

"Yeah, we are, girlie." I cringe inwardly at the use of the word 'girlie'. "Why would a girl like you wanna go to the Satellite anyway?" As if me being a girl has anything to do with it.

"Business." I make sure that my face is as stoic as possible, I'm now on guard.

"Okay whatever, just pay the fee." Before he can continue, I drop the exact change into his hand and walk onto the boat. I sat towards the front of the boat, resting my back against the side. There's few people on the boat at this hour, since I reckon the markets would only start to open when we would arrive. I look around the small boat, only a few middle-aged men. They're purposely avoiding my gaze. They're probably confused as to why a young woman such as myself is going to the Satellite of all places with them. Well, I suppose this is better than them making passes at me, which happens more often than it should. As we set off, I rest my head against the side of the boat and close my eyes. I'm not very fond of boats in general, but it's the only option I have.

I cast my mind back to the last time I travelled over the Sound. I remember walking over to Martha's from where I stayed with Team Satisfaction. I often visited Martha back then, even though I didn't live there anymore. I suppose I got really bored when the guys wouldn't let me join them when they fought other gangs, because I was _too sick_. In hindsight, I probably was. I couldn't run for very long before my lungs tried to escape out of my mouth. I remember walking near the market when I saw an officer. I crossed over to the other side of the road to avoid him. This only caught his attention. He called me over with ' _Satellite trash'_ , I couldn't run away without raising suspicion so I went over to him. He showed me a picture of some ' _thug'_ , and asked me had I seen him lately since he was wanted by Security. He was very rude about the whole thing, only calling me by ' _Satellite'_. I asked him to stop calling me that, to which he took offense. Of course why wouldn't he? Someone like me doesn't have that right. He only shouted back at me, throwing worse insults. This caused me to yell back at him. It all happened very quickly from there. He arrested me for _disrespecting an officer_ , what a load of bull. Disrespecting him? This City makes me sick. I don't get treated like a human being at times, but if I ask him to stop calling me trash, I'm disrespecting _him._ He took me to the Security headquarters in the Satellite. Since they can't put women into the Facility, they sent me to the Public Security Maintenance Bureau headquarters in the City. The boat ride to the City was agonising and slow, could they not have flown me? Of course not, I wouldn't worth the effort. What was worse that I never got to tell the guys what happened to me. To them, I disappeared without a trace. I remember my first steps into that huge perfect building, I'd never seen anything like it. I thought then that the City was the utopia like I imagined back then, how wrong I was.

That prick of an officer handed me over to a 'lady officer' as they're called. She introduced herself as 'Officer Jones' with a smile, her smile has always stuck in my mind since. She escorted me, still in handcuffs, to a small courtroom where I was convicted. They engraved an arrow-shaped marker onto my right cheek, just below my eye. Even now the skin is slightly more sensitive compared to the rest of my face. It was probably the most painful experience of my life, I imagine they heard my screams in the lobby. Officer Jones kept looking at me weirdly as she filled out paperwork. I wanted to ask why she kept doing that, but didn't in fear of being punished again. She asked me to repeat my name again. I told her Yuuka Hattori, the name which I believed to be my own. She then asked for my mother's name, I told her Kyoko Hattori and that she had died seven years prior. And again for my father, I told her I never had one. She then walked away to make a phone call. I took the leisure of looking around while she was gone. Lots of cubicles filled the quite large room. The room was mostly filled by the noise of people typing and a little chatter. Officer Jones came back and sat at her deck, she smiled at me again. I felt unsettled by that smile. I said I had no father and she walked off and came back with a smile. I wondered did I actually have a father that my mother had never mentioned.

_You have living family in the City._

I remember this news shook my entire world. I thought I was an orphan since my mother had died when I was seven. Then, to be told, that my 'mother' wasn't actually my mother was heart-breaking. I was actually adopted by Kyoko, who in reality was my aunt. My ' _real_ ' mother, Kasumi, and my father, Mamoru, had lived in the City the entire time. I was told that I had a brother as well apparently, he's just a little more than a year older than me. Apparently that phone call was to my father, who I bear a striking resemblance to. I learned later that my parents had since split up and Officer 'Nancy' Jones had recently become engaged to my father which was how she knew about me.

Nancy told me that I would be sent to live with my 'mother' and my brother, since she already had my brother. And then started the conspiracy. They changed my details in the system. I was no longer from the Satellite, which would make my presence in the City illegal. I, instead, was raised in an orphanage in the City after Kyoko died. Kyoko, apparently, died in the Zero Reverse, which is what they had in their system anyway, so they couldn't identify me and they threw me into an orphanage. They couldn't do anything about my marker which is permanent. So, they made an identification card which proved my residence in the City was legal. I had to carry it with me wherever I went. Like that, I went from less than human to just a number, a very small improvement I must admit.

Then, I met Kasumi and Kaoru, who is my brother. It was probably the most awkward experience of my life. I said nothing the entire time while Kaoru just stared at me. Kasumi kept going on about she missed me and regretting giving me up. I just felt bitter. Who would give up a child when you already had one? That's what I thought to myself back then. I never felt loved by Kasumi. I was told that after she gave birth to Kaoru, she suffered from depression. So, when she became pregnant shortly after with me, she panicked. Kyoko, Kasumi's sister who was unable to have children herself, offered to adopt me. This arrangement would allow Kasumi to see me whenever she wanted. Though, this wouldn't last long as when I was nearly a year old, the Zero Reverse happened. My mother and I were stranded in the Satellite, away from the rest of our family. My mother never told me about my ' _real_ ' family because she knew that I would probably never see them given how the City was treating the situation. I was unhappy when I first started to live in the City. Everyone smothered me, they treated me different. I was told to go only to certain places, act this way, dress this way. I could never happy like that. Kasumi was at the forefront of it all. If word got out I was from the Satellite, the City would break out into chaos because my mere presence there was illegal. Kasumi couldn't have that after all. I think that fact Kasumi 'lost' me back then messed with her head, I felt more like a doll than her 'child'. I'll never call Kasumi my mother. She didn't raise me, she gave me away, she cared more about her image than my happiness. Thinking back, I think the stress that wretched woman caused me is what set off my psychic powers, which only caused my life to go downhill faster than it already was.

My only solace back then was Kaoru. Kaoru, and his friend Emiko, were the only people who treated me like a real person. We bonded over dueling. Kaoru, Emiko and I formed a little trio back when we were in Duel Academy. Kaoru protected me when people gave me trouble for my mark, which lead to him getting beat up. Apparently, the same people thought that he was gay, which didn't help him in the slightest. In retaliation, I started fighting them back which got me in detention, all the time. Kaoru always objected to me doing this, but I kept doing it anyway. I used to get my ass handed to me and end up battered and bruised. Over the span of a year, I was able to learn how to fight and the boys that would attack us would be in a worse state than me. Which, of course, got me into more trouble. It was worth it though. Thinking about detention brings Izayoi back into my mind. I never had a conversation with her despite how often I was in detention with her. In hindsight, I probably should have tried. I knew she wouldn't talk to me though, she had a reputation. She was probably the only person in Duel Academy who understood what I was actually going through. Maybe if we had talked, we wouldn't have ended up as bad as we are now. Ah well, there's no point in asking 'what if', what's done is done.

Everything changed when my powers activated for the first time. I was dueling Kaoru like normal. I was about to attack him directly and win the duel, for once. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was spotting Kasumi from the corner of my eyes, maybe it was the thoughts of those bullies in my subconscious, but something happened. I knew something was wrong when I declared my attack. The attack hurt Kaoru with dense crack. He had put his right arm to shield the blast, only for it to be broken. His feet lost contact with the ground and flew backwards to land on his back with a thud. My hands covered my mouth in shock. He looked up at me from his place on the ground with wide, terrified eyes. Kasumi ran out to help Kaoru up. He was always her favourite, her baby boy, she called him. I don't really remember what happened immediately after that. All I can remember is the word _monster_. After that, I cut all contact with Kasumi and Kaoru. I dropped out of Duel Academy in fear of ending up like Izayoi, I had enough on my plate as it was. I moved in with my dad, which admittedly, I should have done sooner. I never told him the truth about what happened. He never questioned why I dropped out of Duel Academy or why I stopped dueling, he just assumed it was trouble with the bullies or maybe he actually knew all along and never said anything. Even though I eventually moved out on my own, I still kept in contact with my dad. If I'm ever short for money, cause marked wages aren't real wages, he doesn't hesitate in helping me out. He takes me out for lunch sometimes and pays for me, because he knows I couldn't afford the high prices. I'm so grateful for him, but I just don't know how to say it. I feel guilty about taking money from him. I'm independent now, I shouldn't have to do this.

I sigh. I'm nearly to the Satellite. A trip down memory lane can really help pass time, even if it's a painful one. I'm so tired that my eye lids feel sore. I suppose I haven't had a proper night sleep since before the Fortune Cup. That dream keeps coming back. It gets more detailed each time. What does that mean? Is it a premonition or just a bunch of random images? Random images seem likely since I only had that dream once I saw Yusei, which brought back thoughts of everyone from Team Satisfaction. I find it strange that I haven't seen Jack in my dreams, does that have a meaning? At this point, I should really stop trying to analyse my dreams. Though I suppose I'll find the answer in the Satellite since that's where I'll find Yusei, Kiryu and Crow. As I step off the boat, I take a deep breath, inhaling that smoggy Satellite air that I haven't taken in since I was arrested four years ago. I set off in the small alleyways in the Satellite, hoping to find the answers to all of the burning questions.


	12. Wrong Direction

The Satellite is much emptier than I remember. Outside of the markets, it's so silent that all I can hear is my breathing and footsteps. It makes me afraid. I feel someone is watching me. I keep glancing back. When I arrived, I scoured the marketplace, looking for Yusei, Crow or Kiryu. Clearly, I had no luck. So, now I'm checking all the places we used to go. Every time I glance back, I can see the Daedalus Bridge in the background. That old story about the bridge comes back to me and I smile, it reminds me of Crow and how much he always loved that story. The air here is starting to take a toll on me. It's full of dust, so it's aggravating my chest which leads to lots of coughing. Despite this, I keep going. I need to make it to the old Team Satisfaction hideout. A few more people start to show up. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to figure out what's coming up ahead, and why there's suddenly more people. Probably a bar, to be perfectly honest because of where I am. I duck into an alleyway when I suddenly notice a crowd starting to gather ahead. A man fully dressed in black robes is on the side of the crowd nearest to me.

"Hope in the land of Satellite!" I watch from the alleyway as the man calls out to the crowd. "The Crimson Dragon that came forth in Neo Domino City is a Wicked God who brings forth disaster to this world!" Disaster? Is this what Godwin is resurrecting that Dragon for? "Should the City and Satellite be destined to tremble at the rage of the Wicked God and both perish from this world? No! The Crimson Dragon has chosen the City, the land of fools!" I can't argue with that. "O wise people of Satellite! Embrace hope! Those who have gathered around us shall definitely be saved from this curse! The hope of Satellite!" I'm about to walk out from the alleyway into the crowd when I noticed something strange.

"Hope." The crowd which was silent up until this point begin to say this word over and over again, as if in a trance. "Crimson Dragon, be gone!" They begin yelling this at the top of their voice. I back further into the alleyway and run. Something is telling that what happened there isn't normal. What could have caused such a reaction? When, in the City, people would walk straight past him. I'm a few blocks away from the crowd before I stop to catch my breath. I'm honestly surprised that after a little time in the Satellite, my stamina has become this bad. I curse my stupid lungs. I continue, despite my current state. After I ran, getting away from the crowd, I must have taken a wrong turn because I have no idea where I am. I try to walking back to a main road in hopes of getting back on track. That doesn't help because, despite how shitty everything looks, it all looks the same. I follow my instincts, which helps back to the road. I come back onto the road quite a bit after where the crowd was.

Once I'm back on the main road, I spot Daedalus Bridge. It's calling out to me somehow. Despite this, I don't walk towards it. I doubt they'd hid in the B.A.D., after all it would be too dangerous. By the time I reach the general area of the old hideout, I feel like my feet are about to fall off. Though it makes sense, given that the fact I must have been walking for hours by this point. Traversing the alleyways around the building makes me nostalgic. All of the memories from back then flood my mind. Even though Team Satisfaction wasn't even a year old by the time I was arrested, I have so many fun memories.

As I enter the old building, I call out for Yusei, Crow and Kiryu. No response, dead silence. I'm so confused, they should be here. As I walk up each floor, I keep calling out. Nothing. It's six o'clock in the evening, I check my phone. If they're out dueling, they should be back by now. I start to panic. My voice is now just short of a scream. I reach the floor of the building where we used to hang out. I look around, everything is covered in dust. The couch I used to lie on has greyed significantly and the upholstery has started to tear. The table where Yusei used to work on his little 'projects' as I called them is covered in dust. I put my hand on the corner and it wobbles more than I remember it doing. Tears come to my eyes. What's happened here? Where is everyone? I call out their names again.

In a last ditch attempt, I climb to the 'roof' of the building. There isn't really a roof, so to speak, we imagined it fell off during the Zero Reverse. I remember I used to sit up here every night, trying to spot a star in the smog-filled sky, mostly in vain. Though, my favourite nights were those when Yusei joined me. We used to spend hours up here, talking about anything that came to mind or saying nothing at all and just enjoying the company. A smile breaks out on my face, and I can feel the tears again. I really want to believe that Yusei is still the same as he was back then. But, that small part inside of me just can't. Between his involvement with Godwin and what the guy said about the Crimson Dragon. He said the Dragon will bring forth disaster to this world. Why would Yusei be linked to such a thing? What happened while I was gone?

I sit with my back against a section of what remains of the wall. I'm relieved to be off my feet. I'm trying to think of reasons why no one's here. I suppose the most likely answer is that they've just changed bases because someone found them. The idea that they went their separate ways creeps into my mind. That's ridiculous. We were so close, nothing could have torn us apart. Or maybe something did? That would explain why Jack and Yusei were in the City. I shake my head. Of course not, we were all friends. The thought still lingers in the back of my head, no matter how much I want it gone. I hold my face in my hands and take a deep breath, only to then attempt to cough my lungs up. No matter the bad thoughts, I need to come up with a plan. I should probably check the nearest market in the morning, then my best bet will be Martha's. As much as I want to see Martha, she'll probably rip off my head because I disappeared for four years without notice. _Especially_ since I was going over to her house when I got arrested. I say 'rip off my head' when in reality, she'll probably drag me by the earlobes inside. That's probably more painful, since I have very sensitive earlobes from years of being in trouble with her. I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Given the fact that Martha practically raised me, Jack, Yusei and Crow, she should have an idea where Yusei and Crow are. As for Kiryu, I'm at a loss for him, to be honest. It would be unwise to start moving again though, it will get dark soon and the 'scum of humanity' will come out. Which, given my status as a female, is not a good idea. I try to meditate in an attempt to rid myself of all these negative thoughts, but I only end up falling asleep.

For once, I'm not having that dream again. Instead, I'm sitting with the rest of Team Satisfaction. I think I'm reliving a memory judging by the fact I'm wearing my old jacket. It's a thing that duel gangs wear some piece of matching clothing. For us, it was a cropped sleeveless brown jacket with fur lining the arm seams. I managed to find a big package of factory defects in the trash, which thankfully were clean for Satellite standards, and tailored them for us. Even though I ' _technically_ ' wasn't a member of Team Satisfaction, I still got a jacket since I kept bugging them until I could have one. After all, _I_ made the cool jackets, so I should get one. We're all sitting around in the usual place. Jack's staring at the window, in the direction of the City. Yusei is tinkering with his duel disk. Crow is dueling with some kids, though I can't hear what he or the kids are saying. I'm sitting on the couch, as usual. Kiryu walks in, proclaiming something, which once again I can't hear. They all gather in the centre of the room, not acknowledging me. I pout as they begin talking, that I _still_ can't hear. I walk up to them and greet them, they ignore me. I pout as I wave my hand in front of Kiryu's face. He doesn't react to me at all, I'm confused. I strike me that I can hear absolutely nothing, not just the guys. I wave my hand in front of Yusei's face, nothing. I go to put my hand on the table when my hand fazes through it. My arm keeps going and I faze through the floor. I close my eyes to brace myself, but nothing happens. I open my eyes and find that I'm complete darkness again. I see Yusei standing a good distance away from me. I reach my arm out towards him. He turns around to face me. His eyes are cold and uncaring. I'm suspended in the darkness and I keep reaching out for him, calling his name. He turns away as I keep clawing through the darkness.

I throw my arm out again and open my eyes to find that I've woken up. I stare at my hand in front of me. I sigh as I remember Yusei's eyes in the dream. I open my eyes, that I didn't realise I had closed, and notice a bright purple light filling the sky. I feel sick to the stomach, just looking at it. I check my phone to see that it's two in the morning. I rush up and try to get a look at what's going on. In getting up, my head throbs. I can feel my pulse raging at the back of my neck. It's like during Ruka's duel at the Fortune Cup. I can sense some weird energy from the light. I hold my head and try to look around. I don't see much as the light only makes my head worse. I run down the stairs to try not take in as much light, still, no one is here. I end up leaving the building. The dark alleyway obscures some light. But still, the pain in my head only getting stronger. My stomach turns churning and I feel like I'm going to vomit. The pain of it all becomes too much, I can barely stand. Kneeling on the ground, my nails dig into my scalp as I try to null the pain, to no avail. Eventually, I succumb to the pain and everything goes black.

* * *

When I come to, I realise that I'm lying on the ground. My head is really groggy but I noticed that the purple lights have stopped as my eyelids aren't burning. I hesitate to open my eyes, after all, it's not safe for a ' _girl like me_ ' to be on the streets of the Satellite at night. I slowly open my eyes and look directly in front of me and spot a pair of feet, I freeze. Judging by the look of the shoes, I'd say it's a guy. Though, thankfully, I don't think they've come near me yet. I try to get a good look at their face, but it's too dark. I slowly try to sit up, in case my head starts again, but I'm grateful when there is no pain. I move to put my back against the wall. As I move, I pull down my dress, which is short and tight, so it ridded up a bit when I fainted. I stare at the guy across from me, as I sit up.

"Who are you?" I call out him. "Why are you here?" He laughs.

"What?" That voice, it couldn't be. He begins pulling down the hood, that was obscuring his face. "Do you not recognise me, Yuuka?"

"Kiryu!" A huge smile breaks out onto my face, probably my biggest smile in years. Then, it sets in. Why is Kiryu alone _here_ in the middle of the night, judging by the darkness, _alone_? I gulp before I ask. "Where's everyone else?"

"Team Satisfaction is dead." His answer is curt. In shock, I cover my mouth with my hands. It's my worst fear, now a reality.

"What happened, Kiryu?" Tears are burning at my eyes. I fear the worst.

"Let's not talk about it here." I'm staring at his face. It's as gaunt as it was in my dream. I spot a red criminal marker down the right side of his face. But why would it be red? I don't think he'd appreciate me asking now. "You should come back to my new hideout. It's not safe out here."

"Okay." Something is making me hesitant. I feel like I shouldn't go with Kiryu. It's silly, Kiryu is my friend and he won't hurt me. At least, he wouldn't have four years ago. With everything that's happened, I'm not sure who I should trust anymore.


	13. Reversal

Kiryu is silent as we ride towards his new hideout. I'm slightly puzzled as we enter the B.A.D., I ask him where we are going. He tells me that his new hideout is within the old Moment Reactor, which confuses me. Surely that reactor would be too dangerous to live in, then again, I feel like that red marker has something to do with it. I doubt that even the hardest criminal would think of even going near the old Reactor. Something is clearly amiss here. I can sense a strange aura off Kiryu, which shouldn't be possible, since I was under the impression that only psychics have auras. I'll have to ask Kiryu later, I don't think that revealing my psychic abilities to him will be a big deal since he's my friend after all. As we approach the Reactor, I can feel the overwhelming power coming from it. It almost feels like the same energy that came from the Crimson Dragon, only weaker. I'm confused as to why I'm feeling this, I thought the Reactor was no longer working. I shrug off that thought as Kiryu and I reach the Reactor. It's silent as we descend down the stairs into the heart of the reactor. I suppose he is waiting until we're in private and no one can hear us. I stay a few paces behind Kiryu to get a good look around the old Reactor. It's cold as a tomb. I honestly expected silence, but the building seems to ache and creak under its weight. This makes me question my safety, but seeing how Kiryu _seems_ to be fine, I let it pass. Worst of all is that the dust down here is worse than outside. My chest feels as tight as the corridors. At best, the corridors are dimly light and dingy. My senses are heightened in here; I hear every little sound. I still haven't figured out what the energy is coming from. It almost feels like the energy from the Reactor still hangs around in the air.

We start passing some doors before Kiryu stops to open one. He lets me in first. I imagine that the room was once an office judging by size of it. Now, all it holds is a bed, that looks rock hard. I turn back to look at Kiryu.

"You can sleep here." Kiryu gestures towards the bed, which on closer inspection looks a bit mouldy. I look back towards Kiryu; he looks like he's about to turn to leave the room.

"You're not leaving until you answer my question." I try sounding tough in order to get his attention, then my voice softens. "You said you'd answer me when we were in private, now we are." My hands have started shaking, I take a seat on the far edge of the bed. "What happened to Team Satisfaction?" Kiryu scoffs offhandedly and sits on the edge of the bed beside me. This isn't a good sign of things to come.

"It started after you disappeared. As we took over more and more of the Satellite, things began to change." Kiryu isn't looking at me as he talks. I'm starting to imagine something serious happened than them simply drifting apart.

"What changed?" My voice is shaking.

"Yusei." I freeze. Yusei? Has Yusei really changed since back then? "As we gain more territory, Yusei became power hungry." Yusei, power hungry? That's not the Yusei I remember at all. "When we finally took over all of the Satellite, everything changed. Security started looking for us. One day, they arrested me because I was the leader. When I was being arrested, an officer walked over to Yusei, put his hand on Yusei's shoulder and smiled. Do you know what that means, Yuuka?" Kiryu looks me in the eyes, his sclerae are pitch black. I'm shaking. "He's a traitor, Yuuka! He just let me rot in the Facility!" I quickly turn my head towards the floor and squeeze my eyes shut. Is that really true? Would Yusei really do that to Kiryu? I slowly look back towards Kiryu. His eyes are cold and filled with hate. He's not lying about Yusei being a traitor, I can tell that from the raw emotion in his eyes. It's strange, despite Kiryu having an aura, I can't get a good read off him. No distinguishable emotion, it's all just a dark mumbled mess.

"Is that why Yusei entered the Fortune Cup?" My voice is nothing more than a squeak. I almost don't want to believe what Kiryu is saying but I have nothing to disprove him.

"Of course it is!" He chuckles, but with how maniacal it sounds, it's almost like a cackle. "Why else would he steal the title of King from someone he used to call his best friend?" I must admit that's a believable reason for Yusei's puzzling appearance. Thinking of that title match brings back to mind the Crimson Dragon and the 'Signers'.

"Yusei is a Signer apparently. Do you know what that means?" I look right into Kiryu's eyes, the pure black sclerae are frightening. Surely if anyone knew about this, Kiryu would, since it affects both Yusei and Jack.

"Signers are the servants of the Crimson Dragon. That Crimson Dragon will destroy the world. Yusei's gone so power hungry that he'll stop at nothing." Kiryu's eyes are wide, I feel like they're going to shallow me whole. Bommer said that Rex Godwin is trying to revive that Dragon. Yusei is a 'servant' of that Dragon, making him affiliated with Godwin. Is that why Yusei was at the Fortune Cup? Could it be that Godwin fixed the title match so Yusei would win? Is that why people are saying that Yusei and Jack couldn't be seen on the track at the end of the match when Yusei won? Given the fact Godwin pens this as a 'fault in the projection mechanism' makes this more believable. Is Kiryu right? Has Yusei really become power hungry?

I'm staring back into Kiryu's eyes and that one question is still burning in the back of my head. A part of me has given up on finding Yusei. A part of me wants to confront him with what I've learned. Another wants to just run away and cry, I'd run back to Raiden but he said that he didn't want to deal with my tears.

"Did you guys forget about me after I left?" I know Kiryu is going to tell me what I don't want to hear, but I ask anyway.

"I didn't but," he pauses and I feel like my heart stops. "they did." I can almost feel my heart beginning to break as tears come to my eyes. Kiryu puts his hand on top of my head as the tears begin to fall down my face. Despite how much Kiryu seems to have changed, this hasn't changed. Though the gesture was more to annoy me back then. We stay like this until the tears begin to cease, somewhat.

"I have to go take care of some business, I'll be back. Get some sleep." He gets up immediately, not looking back at me and leaves, closing the door behind him.

As the heavy door slams shut, I'm annoyed at how Kiryu expects me to sleep. I imagine if I was outside, the sun would be starting to rise. Everything Kiryu has told me keeps swirling around in my head. Could what he is saying be the truth? I'm torn between what I believed and what I was told. I've basically given up in the pursuit of sleep at this stage. I got a couple of hours sleep a while ago, I can survive off that for a while at least. It's so cold that I have to stay in a foetal position on the bed to keep warm. However, that doesn't really surprise me since I'm pretty sure that I'm underground right now.

Lying there, I become so tired that reality is starting to blur. I could be having dreams, or reliving memories or just plain hallucinating. I'm starting to feel like my life is playing before my eyes. The day my mother died stands out in my head. The details of the day have since faded. She had fallen sick sometime before that, now I realise that she had probably caught pneumonia. She went untreated because medicine is a limited resource in the Satellite. She had been confined to bed in the days leading up to her death. At seven years old, I had to go the market every day and get some food that didn't require cooking. One day, I returned from the market with a loaf of bread to find that she wasn't breathing. All I remember was crying for hours on end. I ran back to the market to get help. They never told me where they buried my mother. That image of me standing in the doorway, looking at her unmoving body in her bed had always stuck with me. It took years before I stopped seeing it in my dreams.

I reckon I was a few weeks on my own after my mother's death. I went to the market every day in hope of someone giving me food. I always went just before they closed for the day. Every couple of days, I got some food that would have be rotten by the next morning. I must admit I was very clever for a seven-year-old. That last day I ever done that was probably the luckiest day of my life. I hadn't eaten in a couple of days when I went to the market. I stepped forward towards one of the stalls, only to hid at the corner when a woman walked up to it. Something drew me to her as I kept glancing at her from behind the corner. She caught my eye and smiled. She asked the man at the stall if I was his daughter, he told her that I was ' _just some stray'_. Once the woman had bought what she needed, she walked over to me and crouched down so she was nearer my eye level. She asks me where my parents were. It took all of the seven-year-old me to not burst into tears on the spot, it almost worked. I told her I had none. The woman told me that her name was Martha and that she takes care of kids like me. I remember being really scared, but her warm smile told me I could trust her. Martha asked me if I wanted to stay with her. I hesitated for a good few seconds, not looking her in the eye, but I agreed.

My first walk back to Martha's house was probably my most terrifying. Even back then, my hands shook. Martha tried to keep me calm by asking me questions about myself. I remember being really excited when Martha told me that there were other kids that liked dueling at her house. As we walked into the house, I started to hide behind Martha as she went in. At this stage of my life, I was terribly shy. She called all of the kids over to introduce me to them. This only made me try to hide more. As Martha moved into the kitchen to make supper, I tried to follow her. She told me that I should try make some friends. Not the easiest thing for me in the world, mind you. Given the fact that this woman had selflessly taken me into her house without me even asking, I felt indebted to her.

I stood next to the kitchen in the hopes that I would, eventually, build up my confidence. Luckily, I didn't have to. A boy my age, a little bit younger, walked up to me and asked if I liked to duel. He was so energetic that I couldn't help a small smile breaking out on my face and I nodded. The boy, called Crow, challenged me to a duel on the spot. I lost the first time I ever dueled Crow. Though that was to be expected, because I had never dueled many people apart from my mother. Even then, I hadn't talked to many people my age at all at that point of my life. I learnt that Crow wasn't long at Martha's house before I arrived. Crow, looking back, was my first real friend. Crow dragged me by the arm after our duel to introduce me to his friends, Yusei and Jack. Though Jack claimed Crow wasn't actually his friend, but someone who just followed him around. Even back then, I could see through Jack's ruse. The four of us never really separated after that, even as we became teenagers and as we left Martha's house. As much as I want to look back on these memories fondly, I can't help but feel a twinge of melancholy. The more time passes, the more I feel like we can never go back to that. Time changes people. That dynamic will change, gears never quite turning the same way.


	14. Ultimatum

How long have I been in this room? My phone died a long time ago, I can't tell. It feels like a lifetime. I try to sleep only to haunted by nightmares. That recurring dream keeps happening. The details are only getting sharper. Every cut and scrape trickles blood, Kiryu's cheekbones become more pronounced. It only just leaves me with more questions. Will this dream really happen? What does it all mean? Kiryu still hasn't returned. I reckon it's been more than a day, maybe even two.

After everything, I just feel angry and betrayed. My tears have dried up, but I think that's because I have no more. In my dreams, I keep seeing what used to be Team Satisfaction. It just makes me hurt more than I already am. We can never go back to that happy time. Not with Yusei and Jack the way they are now. I don't think I can control my powers anymore. I can feel electricity surging through my veins. All I can think about is making Yusei feel my pain. I'm being tortured by my thoughts, and it's all because of him. I said I'd never hurt anyone with my powers again. I don't think I can keep that promise to myself any longer. I'm in too much pain to do otherwise.

I would leave and go find him if I could. I'd duel him to a pulp if I had my way, but that blasted door won't open. I keep trying to find someone around, but I can't detect a single person's aura. All I can sense is the Reactor. The sheer power of it is slowly draining me. I imagine that I looked like a wreck at this stage, with the bags under my eyes having bags themselves. I sensed some auras leaving the general area a couple of hours ago, Kiryu among them. I screamed and screamed. I tried breaking down the door. Being the stupid person that I am, I forgot my duel disk. I brought my deck, but not the duel disk. What was I thinking? I can't do anything without it now. I sigh out loud. Lying back down on the bed, I try listening again. Not a sound except for the loud creaking noises. Then I feel it, a small twinkle of an aura. It's not far away, I imagine a couple of rooms away. Given the strength of the aura, the person is not a psychic. Sometimes I can sense the aura of someone who isn't a psychic, I can't explain it. The aura is familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on who it is. I give up since I'm unlikely to actually see them. I imagine that their door is also locked.

I need to sleep. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in nearly a week. My body is so tired, but my heart won't let me sleep. My mind has started to become warped, I can't comprehend what's the truth and what isn't. Meditating won't work, simply closing my eyes and lying down doesn't help. The lack of food _certainly_ doesn't help either. I wish Kiryu would come back. I don't know what I can do. I sit up and stare at my hands again. What can I do? I could go find Yusei and make him feel my pain. What then? Would I feel any better or would I feel the guilt?

I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely notice Kiryu's aura approaching the door. I jump at the sound of the door opening. Kiryu walks in with a big grin on his face. This makes me scowl.

"How are you doing?" Kiryu leans against the wall since I take up most of the bed.

"Terrible."

"Oh, what's wrong?" I can almost _feel_ the sarcasm dripping from his mouth, he knows _exactly_ what's wrong.

"I hate Yusei Fudo." That small piece of me keeps crying out that I don't, it's the opposite, I ignore it.

"Oh really?" He knows this, and I know he's just getting me to talk more.

"Yes. I want him to feel my pain." I stare at the ceiling as my fists clench. That electricity is back. If I don't stop myself, the power will manifest and my eyes will glow, that's not good.

"You can." My eyes snap back to Kiryu. "Join the Dark Signers, Yuuka."

"Dark Signers?" What does that even mean? Like a Signer?

"We Dark Signers fight the Crimson Dragon and the Signers. Join us and get your revenge."

"Revenge?" It's such a strong word. "Yeah, that sounds about right." I'm staring at my hand. My dream comes to mind, is that what it meant?

"Then, will you join us?"

"Yes." I don't hesitate at all.

"Great, then we can crush Yusei together." I look back at Kiryu. _Crush_ is an awfully strong word.

"How can I join the Dark Signers?" I have a feeling that these Dark Signers may have something to do with Kiryu's black sclerae.

"You have to wait." This catches me off-guard. "There can only be five Dark Signers at one time. You'll know when the time comes." I'm somewhat disappointed at this news. I was ready to join him. I stare at Kiryu, I'm on edge with him just in the room. I can't quite put my finger on it. I focus on his aura. It's too chaotic and muddled for me to get a good read again. "Well, if that's all your questions, I'll be off." No questions come to mind, even though I'm sure that I'll remember them when he leaves. I'm silent as he walks out, closing the door behind him. I'm alone again. The lack of noise is unsettling. I look around the room. In fact, it barely resembles a room. It looks like four stone slabs creating a box. It feels more like a prison that a make-shift bedroom.

I think back to what Kiryu said. Is it revenge that I really want? Well, that's the decision I arrived at, so I'll go with it. Still, I can't help but think back to the time we formed Team Satisfaction. I was coming back from the market with food, when I was cornered by some guys with ill intentions in an alleyway. I had my duel disk and my deck on me, that wasn't the problem. I would be outnumbered three-to-one; the odds were not in my favour. As my back touched the wall, I became to panic. I wanted to call out to someone, anyone. I feared that if I screamed out, they would do something even more horrible to me. Then, someone called out to them. I didn't quite make out what they said as I was busy trying not to faint from relief. The guys that surrounded me ran off, which confused me, since between me and that guy, we didn't outnumber them. Once they had left, my saviour turns to me and asks if they had hurt me, thankfully, they hadn't. My saviour introduces himself as Kiryu. He asks if I want him to walk me back to my place because they might come back if I'm by myself. I was hesitant, but decided to trust him. Back then, I was a bit more trusting than I am now.

As we walked back, Kiryu and I started talking. I asked him why he helped me. He told me that he wanted to make the Satellite a better place. I remember being in awe when he said he wanted to get rid of the duel teams in the Satellite. I thought he was so cool. As we got towards the place where I stayed with the guys, we ran into Crow. He asked me where I was, because I had been away longer than usual. I told Crow what happened to me and I introduced him to Kiryu. Crow thanked him, making a comment about how often I get in trouble. It wasn't necessary, but okay. I invited Kiryu inside, introduced him to Yusei and Jack. After that, Kiryu never really left. We all looked up to Kiryu back then. He was our saviour. He gave us hope that the Satellite could be better. Of course, if we couldn't leave, why not make it a better place to live? Team Satisfaction formed not long after that. Though I was a proper member because they were _too worried_ about me _getting hurt_. In hindsight, they were probably right to be honest. Now, that's no longer true. I'm powerful, probably more powerful than the guys. I've trained myself physically, skilled in hand-to-hand combat. I've trained my psychic powers, I can control and pinpoint my abilities.

Without realizing it, I've slipped back into that dream. The rainbow lights are blinding. Kiryu's pitch black sclera stand out in the brightness, sucking all light into them. The voices return. Resurrection, Signers and the Crimson Dragon. What does it all mean? _Don't trust them_ , the voice calls out. Who is 'them'? The Signers or Dark Signers? The voice, it's familar. The ground beneath my feet starts to move. This time, I move towards Kiryu, only for my hand to faze right through him. I still fall. My screams are silent; all I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears. As I fall into the darkness, I spot Yusei stretching out his arms for me, looking at his face makes my blood boil. I pull my hand back and embrace the darkness. When the darkness fades, I'm facing Yusei again. I can tell he's screaming at the top of his lungs but I hear nothing, not even my heart anymore. His face is covered in cuts and bruises. His jacket is torn, revealing a long jagged gash on his arm and his collarbone. He's looking determined. A strange feeling of pride feels me. I look at my glove; it comes up past my elbow. This confuses me, as I'm actually wearing gloves that cut off at my wrist. Even though they are black gloves, I can still see that they're stained with blood. Did I do this to Yusei? I realise that I have a strange duel disk on my left arm, I don't recognise it at all. I must have done this. Does this mean I get my revenge? I'm not in control of my movements. My right hand stretches far in front of me, my forearm is glowing a bright purple. A solid black mass attacks Yusei. Some sort of sharp appendage pierces Yusei's torso. Blood splatters everywhere, with some hitting my face. Yusei's frozen face looks at me. He looks hurt and betrayed. He whispers something, I can't hear it but I feel the weight of his words.

When I jolt awake, my face feels wet. Why would I be crying? Isn't revenge what I want? Isn't that how a psychic gets revenge? Still, Yusei's expression haunts me. His pained eyes remind me of Kaoru's. I push that thought away. I try searching for auras. The small aura from a couple of doors down has left. I can sense an aura like Kiryu's nearby. No, it's stronger than Kiryu's. It's so unsettling and chaotic that I feel scared just being this close to it.

I stand up and pace the small room in the hopes of calming myself down. I doesn't work, my body just becomes more agitated the more I twist and turn. When I turn away from the door, I spot what looks like a torn photo in the corner. I can't believe that I haven't spotted it before. It's greyed considerably which makes it blend in with the wall. I pick up and turn the photo to reveal the picture on the other side. I immediately spot a younger version of Rex Godwin in the photo, with shorter and darker hair, but there's no doubt it's him. I don't know who the other two men in the photo are, though what strikes me is their resemblance to Yusei and Jack. I stare at the man who is the spitting image of Yusei. They have to be related, they look too alike not to be. Could this be Yusei's father? I'd believe that. But why would such a photo be here? What does that mean? Wait, the Zero Reverse started here. It could be possible that the three men in the picture were responsible for this. I never trusted Godwin, never will. It would make sense, especially since all three are in official looking lab coats. Wait if Godwin was responsible for the Zero Reverse, could that mean it's related to the Crimson Dragon too? Is the Crimson Dragon some almighty wicked god of destruction that everyone claims it to be? I need answers, but none seem to present themselves.

I try searching for Kiryu. His aura is far away but it's moving closer. I wonder if he's going to come visit me. I hope so. Stone walls and my own thoughts aren't good company. I sit on the edge of the bed. I stare at my hands as I interlock my fingers. I don't dare close my eyes in case I fall asleep. Even though I was technically just asleep, I don't feel any more rested than I was. I'm sick of having dreams. Can I not just be unconscious for a few hours without seeing some weird and terrifying dreams? My mind travels back to what Kiryu said. Dark Signers. My first thought was that it was a villainous bunch. Am I wrong? Did my mind just associate dark with evil, or am I really right? Just like how people associate the word 'Satellite' with 'thieves'. But then the color crimson gets associated with blood, so does that make the Crimson Dragon a god of destruction? I guess I'll have to learn that for myself. Though, I'm relieved as Kiryu's aura approaches the door.

"Oh, you're awake?" Kiryu stands in the doorway. "Come with me." He stands just outside the door as he waits for me.

"Am I allowed to join the Dark Signers now?" I make myself sound vaguely disinterested to hide the uneasiness I feel. We walking towards the main source of energy in here. As we walk closer, I glance at the soft rainbow tint everything is starting to have. Is my dream about to come true? The answer is solidified as we walk out into the centre of huge room on a bridge. We stop on a circular platform in the centre, I take care to avoid the obvious trap door in the middle. I look down into a rainbow abyss. It seems endless with multi-coloured light spewing from it. I squint looking into it. Actually, it doesn't seem like light at all. It almost looks solid, what could it be?

I look back towards Kiryu. The bright light makes his gaunt face look harsher. His black sclerae seems unaffected by the light, they look like an empty void.

"What is this?" My voice is shaking. My heart is pounding in my chest. The sensation of height is unsettling.

"The Gate to the Underworld, Yuuka." I look at Kiryu. He's grinning and his eyes are wide. His aura has become wilder. Subconsciously, I back up from Kiryu. "Join the Dark Signers and you'll be resurrected with the power you need to get your revenge!"

"Resurrected? You mean I have to die?" I keep backing up as I hold my head in my hands. No, I don't want that. I want to get rid of these emotions controlling me. The sheer power radiating from the rainbow abyss is enough to make my consciousness waver. Black blotches starting appearing in my vision.

"Yes. But you'll have the power you need. Together, Yuuka, we can send Yusei to hell like he deserves!" I'm frozen.

"But die? I don't want to die; I don't want Yusei to die. I just want my pain to stop."

"Don't you see?" Kiryu's eyes have become wider, if that is possible. "It's the only way you can make him feel your pain, Yuuka!" I take another step back. Is that true? But surely, would my powers work just fine?

"No." I clutch my head again. I move to take another step back when my foot misses the platform. The centre of gravity is thrown back. I swing my arms forward in hopes of getting back on. My other foot slips. I try throwing my arms out in order to grab the platform. My fingertips barely graze the bottom of the platform. Then I'm falling. I look Kiryu in the eyes one last time. He's grinning like a maniac. He lets me fall. It's only a matter of seconds before swallowed by the rainbow light. I feel like I'm being suffocated. My lungs are on fire. The light is too bright. My body feels like it's being pulled in a million different directions. The energy it sends off is too much, it's dark and tainted. My head and heart throb. I'm still falling. My last thoughts are of Yusei. In the end, it's his fault that I died.


	15. Truth, Consequences and the End

When I come to, I'm sitting with my back against a wall, overlooking the rainbow abyss. I'm so confused. I should be dead. I fell into that pit and died. How am I up here? I look down at myself, only to find I'm in completely different clothes. The long gloves from my dream have made an appearance. I look around me, I spot Kiryu leaning against a wall.

"Oh you're awake?" Kiryu laughs. Actually, it's more like a cackle. I can feel the anger boiling up in my stomach.

"What am I doing here?"

"Oh, have you forgotten? You're a Dark Signer now." Of course, that's why he was laughing. I'm really _dead_. My hands have started to shake. I can feel my powers. They're stronger than ever before. The electricity in my veins is so powerful that I feel like it's going to break loose. I stand up to properly look Kiryu in the eyes. He's not lying, his aura tells me so. I take a better look at my clothes. I'm wearing a short black dress, similar in length to what I was wearing before. A magenta sash around my waist holds a black train in place. On top, I'm wearing a short black cloak with a hood. Mostly everything is trimmed with magenta, similar to my eyes. It's then that I notice that I'm also wearing the duel disk from my dream too. I look at Kiryu, is this a uniform for a Dark Signer? I suppose it is. Why did this happen?

"Well, if you're busy moping here, I'm off to send Yusei to hell." He laughs maniacally, and starts to walk off.

"You won't beat him."

"Oh really? What makes you think so?" I can almost feel the venom coming from his mouth.

"Because I will." Clearly that dream meant something, considering I did fall into that rainbow pit. Maybe this is some new psychic power that is my random bag of powers.

"Is that so? Have fun getting to him then!" Kiryu runs off down the halls. It takes all of me, not to run after him. I scoff when I hear the roar of a D-Wheel racing off, far away from where I'm standing. It echoes all through the reactor. Then I realise that with Kiryu gone, I have no way of finding Yusei. Well, getting out of this rundown Reactor would be a start. Walking back down the corridors of the Reactor is a strange feeling. They no longer feel tight and full of dust. My chest moves easily like I was out in fresh air. When I breathe, I don't feel air going into my body, it stops when it gets to my lungs. I suppose since I'm dead I don't need to breathe anymore, but my body goes through the movements as a force of habit.

I think back to the photo I found earlier. That man in the middle of the photo was Yusei's father, that I'm convinced of. Those men were responsible for the Zero Reverse. Something in my chest is screaming for revenge, though my heart no longer beats. It's their fault that the Zero Reverse happened. The reason why I became who I am, the reason I'm living an utterly miserable existence. Defeating Yusei is the first step in finding peace. At least, that's what the something in my chest is screaming. Then, I go find Rex Godwin and end this. I start to question the contents of my deck. There is a deck in the duel disk, I don't know if it's my deck. I reckon I should look at it once I leave this place.

As I come out of the old Reactor, I look up at the sky. It's strange. The sky is covered in a dark fog. Judging by the fact it's not pitch black outside, I imagine it's the middle of the day. I decide to look at my deck. It looks mostly the same. There's my Fabled Monsters and the cards that go along with them. I spot some cards I don't recognise, mostly traps and a field spell. I look towards the back of my deck. Damn, my Synchro Monsters are missing. In its place is a monster I've never seen before. Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta. Something is telling me that it's the signature of a Dark Signer. I'm confused, how do I know this? It almost feels like the card is speaking to me. While not a rare occurrence among Psychics, it's new to me. Maybe this Earthbound Immortal is the thing screaming inside my chest.

As I put my deck back into my duel disk, purple flames once again light up the sky. It's not as bright as last time, considering it's not the middle of the night. From here, the flames seem to make out a shape. At this angle, I can't see the entire thing so I can't make out what it is. As if matching the flames, my right arm starts glowing under the glove. I peel my glove back to reveal what looks like a tattoo. It's shaped like a bird and it's a purple colour like the glow. It reminds me of the strange tattoo on Kiryu's arm, must be a Dark Signer thing. Speaking of which, the shape of the flames reminds of that mark. That must be where Kiryu is. I start running while trying to concentrate on my mark. I can sense that Kiryu is dueling, he must be dueling Yusei.

As I run, the streets are deserted. There's not a single person around. Things are left around like everyone just disappeared. Suddenly, something catches my eye. The purple light in the sky reflects off a shard of a mirror. I stop to pick it up to get a look at my face. The bags under my eyes are as horrendous as I imagined. Though, it doesn't hold a candle to my sclerae which are now pitch black like Kiryu's. I want to scream, I almost drop the mirror. Not only that, my marker has changed colour to a blood red colour. How is this possible? I just keep looking into my own eyes and blinking in the hopes it will go away. I didn't want this. I _never_ wanted this. It's all Yusei's fault. If he had never been at the Fortune Cup, this never would have happened. I wouldn't have gone searching for him, I never would have never gone back to the Satellite. I wouldn't have run into Kiryu and fell into the Reactor. I hate him and how he affects me. I'm sick of how my feelings for him override anything that is remotely logical in my mind. He doesn't know how much pain he's put me through. I can feel my powers starting to go out of control, my eyes start to glow. I take deep breaths to try calm myself down. It doesn't work, though, that's probably because I'm basically a zombie now. I continue running. I need to beat Yusei. That's all I can do.

As I approach the flames, the lights grow brighter. In the distance, I can see what looks like a giant looming over all the buildings. I say 'looming', when in reality, it stretches far beyond the height of any building in the Satellite and probably the City too. The vast dark monster reminds me of that Earthbound Immortal monster I saw in my deck. I wonder if that's Kiryu's Earthbound Immortal. Still, I keep going. Soon, I reach the outside of the flames. Just then, the flames disappeared and my mark stops glowing. Kiryu lost, that's what my mark is telling me. I spot a tower in the middle of the empty plain. I rush to hid behind it, while throwing my hood up. My mark tells me that Yusei will come here soon. I wait until I hear Yusei's D-Wheel approaching. I can hear his footsteps inside the tower. Then, the ground starts to rumble. The tower starts to sink into the ground. I jump away from the tower. I'm surprised that my mark isn't glowing from being this close to Yusei. The thick dust that hangs in the air, preventing Yusei from me. He stands a good bit away from me. Just seeing him brings up strange feelings inside me. I stare at my hands again. I'm surprised that they're not shaking, maybe that's a perk of being dead. Then, my mark starts throbbing, it glows that unnatural violet colour. As the dust starts to settle, I can see Yusei's mark glowing. He's looking right at me. It's now or never. I start walking towards him. He doesn't recognise me with my hood up, I can tell that by the look on his face.

"That mark?" Yusei stares at my mark, while clutching his own, then glances up at my face. "Another Dark Signer! Who are you?" Of course.

"Looks like I was right." I laugh, despite my pain. However, the laugh isn't my own. It sounds crazed like Kiryu's. I move to take down my hood. I watch Yusei's face like a hawk, he's uneasy. I don't think he has recognised my voice. I want to see his reaction to seeing as a Dark Signer. I want him to see what he's done to me. Once his eyes meet mine, he's in disbelief. His face gives me the impression that I'm the last person he'd suspect being under that hood. "You really did forget about me." I put my finger up to my lips. My eyes are wide, soaking everything in. I want to remember every detail of Yusei's face as he goes through I have felt.

"What? No!" Yusei seems taken aback by what I said, but I know he's lying. "Yuuka, why are you a Dark Signer?" He looks hurt and betrayed. Good, I want him to feel everything I've felt over the last week. Something inside me is screaming for me to crush him, but I don't listen. I want to play with him some more before I do that.

"Yuuka?" Crow calls out to me from a raised section quite away from us. I scoff and ignore him. This is between Yusei and I. How dare he. Crow will be the only one to escape here without a scratch, he done nothing wrong. I don't want him involved, there is no blame on his head.

"Isn't it obvious, Yusei? I'm here to finish what Kiryu started." I laugh again, it sounds so cruel that I wonder if it's even my own. "After I got arrested, you forgot about me and left me to rot in the City." My mark starts to throb even more, to the point that it's painful. "The only reason you even went to the City was your own selfish gain. Are you happy now, _King_? You're the reason I'm like this!" Electricity surges through my body, my eyes have started to glow.

"Yuuka, no! It's not what you think!" Yusei tries to defend himself, it's nothing but lies. My heart screams for me to crush him. Whatever is inside my chest is aching to burst free.

"Enough!" I interrupt him before he says anymore. I hold up my left arm along with my duel disk. "There's only one way to settle this." Yusei moves to get his duel disk from his D-Wheel. While he has his back to me, I take off my cape, throwing it behind me. I don't want some cape holding me back as I duel him. Once Yusei turns back to me, I activate my duel disk. Purple flames begin to spread out, stretching out farther than I can see. The pattern of the geoglyph is mirrored by purple flames in the sky.

"Duel!" We both manage to call it out at the same time. I laugh at the irony. Now, there's no going back. Only one of us will emerge from this geoglyph alive, and it's going to be me.

"I'll go first." A maniacal smile creeps onto my face. "It's only fair after all." I take a look at the cards in my hand. Offering to the Immortals. One of the traps I didn't recognise manages to be in my hand on the first turn, what a coincidence. It lets me summon two tokens and add an Earthbound Immortal to my hand if Yusei attempts to attack me directly when I have less than 3000 life points. I remember the effects of the Earthbound Immortal; I'll want that out as soon as possible. I have a Field Spell in my hand, that's helpful. The other trap is of no use to me now. I look at the two monsters; I should really summon the monster with the lower of the two attack points if I want my strategy to work. "I summon The Fabled Chawa in attack position(ATK:200)." The canine monster appears on the field baring its teeth with a silly grin. "I set two cards and end my turn." I suppose setting the two traps would be beneficial in case Yusei manages to destroy one, in order to make sure I can pull off my strategy. The second trap, called Trap Stun, will allow me to stop him destroy my other trap, if Yusei himself uses a trap.

"My turn." Yusei stares at me. I guess he's trying to figure out my strategy, I wonder if he knows that I have a monster with higher attack points in my hand. "I Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron by discarding one card from my hand(ATK:700). Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect activates from the graveyard. When I have a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard(ATK:800)." Yusei isn't pulling any punches. He can't summon Stardust given the levels, I wonder what he'll do. "Then Quickdraw Synchron tunes Quillbolt Hedgehog. Clustering shouts will become a silver arrow and pierce the skies! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Archer(ATK:2300)!" If he attacks Chawa, that will bring me under the threshold for Offering, perfect. "Junk Archer attacks The Fabled Chawa! Scrap Arrow!" As Chawa is destroyed, my life points drop to 1900. "I end my turn." It's then I remember Junk Archer's effect. Why didn't he remove Chawa from play for the turn before attacking me? Maybe he's trying to prevent me from summoning Earthbound Immortal. He believes that he's thinking two steps ahead, but he's really four behind.

"Yuuka!" Yusei calls out to me as I'm about to begin my turn. "Why did you become a Dark Signer?" It takes all of me to not go berserk with my powers.

"I told you. You forgot about me while I rotted in the City. I was alone and afraid, all while you were having your Team Satisfaction adventures! Oh no, wait." A sadistic smile creeps onto my face. "You sold Kiryu out, so there's no more Team Satisfaction."

"You're wrong! I didn't sell Kiryu out. He attacked Security by himself and got arrested!" No, that's not true, or is it? Given how crazy Kiryu was when I came back, it wouldn't surprise me that he'd do that. No, what am I saying? I can't believe Yusei of all people. "And I-we never stopped looking for you!"

"That's a lie! You only went to the City in search of power!" Tears are burning at my eyes. "When you saw me at the Fortune Cup, you just stood there and said nothing. Of course, why wouldn't you? You pushed me to the back of your mind and completely forgot about me until I appeared in front of you!" I took a deep breath before I continued. "My turn! I draw!" Another monster, Fabled Ashenveil. Setting Ashenveil will stop me taking more damage than necessary. If Yusei summons another monster, I can summon my Earthbound Immortal on my next turn. "I set one monster and end my turn."

"No, you're wrong, Yuuka! I didn't go to the City for power. I always believed you were alive. I searched for you in every place I could."

"No! Stop lying! Kiryu told me that you all stop looking for me, that you didn't care." Yusei will not sway me.

"I'm going to get through to you, Yuuka. My turn!" He draws a card. "Junk Archer attacks your set card! Scrap Arrow! I end my turn." What? If Yusei used Junk Archer's ability, he could have won. I have a card to negate his attack, but still. He must be trying to stop me getting two monsters on my field to release for the Earthbound Immortal.

_Does he not want me to die?_

The thought strikes me. I start thinking about what Yusei is saying. Did Kiryu lie to me? Am I the one in the wrong here? Given how Kiryu treated me when I told him that he was going to lose. Did Kiryu have such a grudge against Yusei that he tricked me into becoming a Dark Signer just to mess with Yusei's head? Something is telling me that I'm right. My mark throbs, I dig my nails into the skin in hopes of dulling the pain.

"My turn. I draw." The Fabled Cait Sith, another monster. I could use it in a combo with the other card in my hand, Fabled Gallabas, to get rid of Junk Archer. Though, that means I basically abandon my other strategy for nothing. My mark tells that I can't do that, I must summon my Earthbound Immortal. Besides, I've already taken 2100 life points of damage for this strategy. I decide to set Cait Sith. "I set one monster and end my turn." I imagine that Yusei is confused by my strategy now. I've only set two monsters in the last two turns. That, or he thinks I have a bad hand.

"Yusei, is what you said true?" I can feel guilt sitting in the pit of my stomach. I try reading his aura.

"It is." He nods. He's not lying. "My turn. I summon Shield Warrior(ATK:800)" That's it, I can summon my Earthbound Immortal next turn. Wait, do I really want to summon the Earthbound Immortal? My chest starts to burn. Whatever this _thing_ is inside my chest doesn't like that idea. "Junk Archer attacks your set card! Scrap Arrow!" I send Cait Sith to the graveyard. "Now, Shield Warrior attacks you directly!"

"Not so fast!" Despite how I'm feeling, a smirk spreads across my face. I no longer feel in control of my actions, my chest feels like it's on fire. "I activate Offering to the Immortals! This card allows me to negate your attack when you attempt to attack me directly and I have less than 3000 life points. Then, it lets Special Summon two Ceremonial Tokens to my field(DEF:0/DEF:0). But that's not all Yusei, it lets me add an Earthbound Immortal from my deck to my hand. Shame, even if you used Junk Archer's effect, this still would have happened."

"I end my turn." Yusei scowls. I can feel the fear coming off him, he knows what I'm going to do.

"Yusei?" I ask in a last ditch attempt in gaining back my sanity. My voice is soft; it actually feels like my own voice this time. "Did Kiryu really lie to me? He said that you became power-hungry and that's why you sold out Team Satisfaction and stole Jack's title."

"That's all lies."

"I see." I realise what I have done. My instincts were right. I shouldn't have trusted Kiryu, and now I'm actually trying to kill Yusei. I should do nothing and lose. Yusei would beat me on his next turn if he uses Junk Archer's effect. My mark starts to throb again. It tells me that it won't let me lose. I can feel my eyes start to glow. My hand moves to draw on its own accord. What is happening? "My turn. I draw." Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. This card lets me a card on Yusei's field to the top of his deck if I discard a card. I would be able to get rid of Junk Archer with that. "I activate the Field Spell Yami." Everything that's not the flames becomes shrouded in darkness. If I had any Fabled monsters on my field, it would raise their attack points by 200, since they're mostly Fiend-Type Monsters. "I release my two Ceremonial Tokens." My hand raises towards the sky of its own free will. My eyes and marker begin to burn, everything has turned a purple tint.

"O dark deity who will bring forth ultimate destruction!" Wait, destruction? I thought the Crimson Dragon was supposed to do that? "Take these souls to fulfil our dark purpose!" Souls? Wait, I never wanted this! "Advent, Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta!" Rising from the flames, a humongous bird appears. It reminds me of a vulture. Its pitch black wings spread out, one wing is probably as tall as a skyscraper. Lines all over it are magenta. The colour reminds me of my eyes. I'm shaking in fear just looking at it. Is this what's controlling me?

"Hawa Lluta! Attack Yusei directly!" My voice sounds warped like two people speaking at once. It's not my own. I'm scared. I don't want to kill Yusei. Let me die instead, please! I deserve it, I was wrong! I let myself be manipulated! By Kiryu, by Raiden, by everybody. Please! I was wrong. I can't bear to watch as Yusei is attacked. Once I sense Hawa Lluta by my side again, I look at him. He's struggling to get off the ground. He's covered in cuts and what will eventually become bruises. His jacket has started to rip at the seams. The jacket is also torn just under his left collarbone, I spot a hint of blood underneath. I'm horrified. How could I do this? My hands are shaking. I feel like I'm starting to live my nightmare. I can't, no, I _won't_ let it come true. However, my hand still moves of its own accord. "I set one card and end my turn." I set my trap. I can't activate it; he wouldn't be able to beat me otherwise. I need to get control of my own body. I look right at Yusei in a plea for help.

"I'll save you, Yuuka!" I know you will, Yusei. You can do it. The look in his eyes is so genuine that I melt. I knew I was wrong. His eyes tell me everything. The look in his eyes is determined, but still as soft as they always were. The burning and glowing of my eyes start to falter.

"Please Yusei, end this duel! Just don't let me activate my face-down, please!" As I scream, the burning and throbbing stops.

"My turn. I activate Junk Archer's effect! I select one monster on your side of the field and remove it from play until the End Phase!" That's right. Earthbound Immortals are not affected by Spells and Traps, but they can be targeted by monster effects. "I pick Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta! Dimension Shot!" Hawa Lluta screeches as it is removed from play. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding in. I send a smile at Yusei. I feel like I'm going to cry, but I should die rather than him. I made the mistake, and I should pay for it. Yusei takes a deep breath. It's laboured, he's in pain. "Junk Archer attacks you directly." The attack of Junk Archer sends me flying back as my life points hit 0. I hit the ground with a thud. Yusei is already running over to me.

"Yuuka!" He cries out as he runs. I try to move towards him but I can't. My body has stopped working, maybe I'll actually die this time around. When Yusei gets to me, he tries to cradle me in his arms. He's shaking, he knows what's going to happen.

"I'm so sorry, Yusei. I didn't want this to happen." The dam finally breaks as tears stream down my face. It's hard to talk. My energy is draining fast. I softly raise my hand to stop Yusei talking. "I don't hate you, Yusei." I close my eyes because I know what I'm going to say next and I don't want to see his reaction. I used to the last of my energy to hug him. "I really did love you, Yusei. But, it doesn't matter now because it's too late." I look over in the direction of Crow and the others so I can't catch a glimpse of Yusei's face. Tears keep streaming down my face. They start to drop onto Yusei's jacket. I can feel myself starting to fade away. "My time is up Yusei." I try not to sob. "Thank you Yusei, for everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end of Act I. We still have quite a way to go. Say goodbye to any semblance of canon plot, we won't see it for a while.


	16. The Two Year Old Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter because today, November 1st, is Yuuka's birthday!

_Three months later_

* * *

The dull hum of the sewing machine drills into my head. I'm grateful that this job keeps my mind off other things. The shop has picked up in business in the last few weeks which helps. I've started working overtime. My life mostly consists of working and sleeping. I barely see anyone these days. Raiden drops in occasionally since his mother owns the shop, but I can't bear to look him in the eye. Shinji sometimes appears when I'm closing up shop. He walks me home afterwards. He tries his best to get me to talk, but I have nothing to talk about. I haven't seen Reika since the Fortune Cup. It's been an empty and lonely three months, but what else can I do? That same stupid dream haunts me every night. Each time, I see Yusei's torso getting pierced and that betrayed look in his eyes. Because of this, I've been getting little to no sleep. Whenever I do sleep, I wake up screaming with tears rolling down my face.

Speaking of Yusei, it almost seems like he's disappeared off the face of the earth. By the time I came back from the Satellite, the press had all but forgotten him. Though, I can hardly blame the press. Apparently, some geoglyphs had appeared in the City, leaving hundreds of people missing. Godwin made no comments on the matter, though they all reappeared eventually. Then, another geoglyph appeared at his mansion and he mysteriously disappeared. Although Godwin was trying to resurrect the Crimson Dragon, something tells me that he played for both sides. Apparently, before Godwin disappeared, he began planning the reconstruction of Daedalus Bridge. I suppose Kenta was right. Yusei really did cause a spark. Revolution is coming, I can feel it. Maybe that's why Yusei went with Godwin. I suppose I'll never know though. I plan to keep living like this, alone. That way, I can't hurt anyone. I refuse to watch the people I love get hurt because of me, never again.

It's then I realise that I've stopped sewing and have started staring out of the window. This is not good. If Mrs. Kimura catches me like this, I'll never hear the end of it.

"Sasaki!" Too late.

"Yes, Mrs. Kimura?"

"What do you think I'm paying you for, Satellite?" Her voice is so shrill that it hurts my ears. "Daydreaming? I think not!"

"You pay me to make clothes, Mrs. Kimura."

"Is that cheek?"

"No, Mrs. Kimura, that is the truth."

"Get back to work! And remember you have a few days off starting tomorrow. Although you're a filthy Satellite, I still have to treat you the same as the rest of us. Be grateful!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Kimura." How many times has she given me this lecture, I wonder? I pull up the turtleneck of my dress, I wince as it brushes over my bruises.

I start working again on the sleeve. It's for a cute peach and white striped blazer. Though, I imagine it would look horrible with my skin tone. I look up at the clock, it's nearly closing time. I want to finish this sleeve today. I hate leaving parts unfinished when I leave. When I start putting the finishing touches, the bell rings, meaning someone just entered the shop. It's strange that someone would enter the shop at this time. Mrs. Kimura comes out from the back of the shop to greet the customer. I freeze when I hear that voice. Emiko. What is she doing here? I duck my head as I pretend to focus on the sleeve. I keep glancing up as she looks at the stock we have. I'm grateful that my sewing machine is in the back corner of the room. You probably wouldn't notice me with the large rolls of fabric leaning against the table. Then, Kaoru enters the shop and walks over to Emiko. I resist the urge to sigh out loud. I wonder if this is a coincidence. I doubt it, this boutique would be out of the way for Emiko and then the fact that Kaoru is with her. I did tell Emiko I am a seamstress, did she look for me based on that?

Mrs. Kimura retreats into the back, probably for a smoke. Kaoru quickly glances around the shop. Our eyes meet. That's it, I'm ready to bolt. This time I get a clear look at his face. It's much more defined than two years ago. His eyes are still the same, that same orange colour. I reach from my duel disk underneath my desk. Well, when I say _my_ duel disk, I lie. Reika has my actual duel disk because she's modifying it, so the one I have now is a spare. Kaoru's feet turn in my direction. I stand and move towards the back exit. I shout into Mrs. Kimura, telling her that I'm leaving.

"Yuuka." Kaoru finally speaks up. My back is towards him.

"What are you doing here?" I look at him over my shoulder. He's frightened. Emiko has a nervous smile on her face, probably because I have a duel disk and well, I'm a psychic.

"I came here to find you." I turn around to face him. I scowl, I know what he's after.

"You want me to go home, isn't that right?" I start towards the door. "I'm not going back, Kaoru."

"No! Yuuka, that's-"

"What else would you be after? It's not safe for you to have me in your life, okay?" Gripping my duel disk close to my chest, I run out the door. I'm panicking, what am I going to do? They know where I work, they'll keep coming back. I need to leave the City, I don't care what Raiden says, it's the only way I can get away from them. I'm barely a few meters away from the shop before I'm pulled back. I try to shake away from the arm grabbing me. I turn back, expecting to see Kaoru. I'm somewhat relieved to see that it's Shinji instead.

"What's wrong?" He says this cautiously. He glances up and down, stopping at the duel disk.

"Kaoru's in the shop. Oh no, he's gonna make me go back-"

"Yuuka!" Kaoru comes to a halt just behind us. "You need to listen to me!"

"I can't!" My mind is cluttered, but my heart is screaming for me to run. "Don't you understand? I can't go back there, Kaoru."

"Duel me." He stiffens and holds up his duel disk.

"But Kaoru." I'm confused. Why would he want to duel me? Doesn't he remember what happened last time?

"I know what you're thinking, but please listen. If you win, I'll leave you alone. If I win, you won't run away and you have to listen to what I have to say." His eyes are burning. There's something different about him, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Fine, but it's not my fault if you get hurt." I don't look at Kaoru as I put my duel disk on my arm and walk into the centre of the courtyard outside the shop. I turn around, waiting for Kaoru to take his place. I take a deep breath. I can't let my emotions control me. If I let that happen, who knows what I could end up doing? I glance over at Emiko. I'm surprised she hasn't said anything yet, though judging by her face, she looks guilty. She did promise that she wouldn't tell Kaoru about me.

"Are you ready?" Kaoru takes a deep breath. I imagine that he's preparing himself for my powers. He doesn't know that I can control them now. I nod at him.

"Duel!" We manage to call it out simultaneously.

"I'll let you go first, since you're the challenger." I say this, but I just like going second in a duel.

"Alright." His face tells me that he wasn't expecting that. "My turn. I summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk(ATK:1600). I set two cards and end my turn. Ehren's monster effect activates, I send the top three cards of my deck to the grave." That's right, Lightsworns focus on milling. I haven't dueled this deck in two and a half years, it's going to be hard for me to remember the ins and outs of it.

"My turn. I draw." I look at my hand. I have four monsters to choose from which is good. My spell card, A Feather of a Phoenix, is of no use to me since I have no monsters in my graveyard to return to the top of my deck. My trap, Dark Smog, isn't really of use now since I can banish a monster in Kaoru's graveyard with it. Better to use that card when I know he has _that_ monster in his graveyard. I start to declare my move when Kaoru interrupts me.

"I activate Skill Prisoner." Hmm, strange that he activates that now. "It lets me negate monster effects that target one of my cards, I choose my set card." I look at my hand again. Not useful for him at all. I wonder what that set card could be.

"Now, if you're finished. I summon Fabled Grimro(ATK:1700)! Now, Grimro attacks Ehren!" Kaoru is the first to lose life points as he is left with 3900. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw. I banish Skill Prisoner from my grave to negate monster effects targeting my set card this turn." Interesting effect, I must admit. "Now, I activate Charge of the Light Brigade. By sending the top three cards of my deck to the grave, I can add a Level 4-or-below Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand. I choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn!" Raiden, huh? I forgot about that monster. Rather ironic name, given the fact that Kaoru owns this card. "Now, I summon Raiden(ATK:1700)!" With that many attack points, he won't be able to beat Grimro. "Raiden's monster effect activates!" Calling that monster 'Raiden' is messing with my head. "I send the top two cards of my deck to the grave and if one of them is a Lightsworn monster, Raiden gains 200 attack points until the end of your next turn." Kaoru shows me the two cards; I curse as one of them is a Lightsworn. (ATK:1700-1900) "Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden's monster effect activates. Because she was sent from my deck to the grave, I send the top card in my deck to the grave as well."

"Is your turn ever going to end?"

"It will soon. Raiden attacks Grimro!" Raiden flies across the field, slashing Grimro with his knives. As Grimro is destroyed by the attack, I feel the impact. I have to shield my face. It can't be. That attack was too strong. Kaoru can't have, could he? Impossible.

"You're a psychic?" That's what I couldn't place my finger on earlier! It's faint, but I can feel his aura. It must be so similar to my own that I can barely feel it. Kaoru is taken aback by this and looks towards Emiko. I look at Shinji, who gives me a strange look. The look manages to capture what I'm feeling. How is this possible? Psychic abilities normally manifest through trauma, what trauma could Kaoru have faced?

"Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want your help. You can control your powers now and I need your help."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, dumbass? I would have listened to you!" I start scowling, he got me into a panic for nothing. "Just continue the duel. Don't worry, I can handle your powers."

"Are you sure?" Kaoru looks like he wants to run. I supposed he imagined that he could control them and is now panicking because he couldn't. Newbie psychics can rarely control their powers, hell, even older psychics can't.

"Yeah, I'm used to dueling people with powers at this stage."

"Okay." He sighs, I don't know if he fully believes me or not. "I end my turn. Raiden's second effect activates; I send the top two cards of my deck to the grave."

"Alright, my turn. I draw." Beckoning Light, a trap. I discard my hand and add a Light-Attribute monster to my hand for each card discarded. Not helpful at the minute, but okay. First, I have to deal with Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn. I only have one option, it's risky but we'll go with it. "I summon Snipe Hunter. Snipe Hunter's monster effect activates. By discarding a card, I can roll a die." I discard Beckoning Light. "If I roll anything other than a 1 or 6, a card of my choice is destroyed and I choose Raiden!" I pray that I get a good result. "Hah! I rolled a 4, which means your monster is destroyed! With this, I attack you directly with Snipe Hunter!" Kaoru's life points drop to 2400. His face gives away the fact he thought he would take real damage. He didn't. He stares at his hand in awe and then back at me.

"Peropero Cerebus's monster effect activates! If I take battle damage, I can banish this card to destroy one card on the field." Uh oh. "I choose my face down." What? I'm confused. Why would he do that?

"I end my turn." I'm raising my eyebrow at Kaoru, what is he up to? Destroying the facedown doesn't put him any closer to summoning Judgement Dragon. Speaking of that Dragon, I'm curious as to how I'll defeat it since I know he will summon it eventually. That's why he's milling his deck. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by an aura entering the courtyard, they stop. I imagine they're watching the duel. I don't turn to look at them.

"My turn. I draw. I set one monster and end my turn." Strange. Kaoru and I both stare at each other. "What's wrong with you? You seem different."

"It's been two and a half years. Time changes people."

"No, that's not it. There's a darkness around you." I stay silent. I know what's he's sensing. It's the guilt of my attempt to kill Yusei. I can't let him know that. I can't let anyone know that. I wouldn't expect him to understand. Of course, how do you go about explaining that a five-thousand-year-old deity is real and that I died and got resurrected by a dark god? Not easily I tell you.

"My turn. I draw." De-Synchro. A card that lets me return a Synchro monster to the Extra Deck, _great_. Just what I needed. "I summon The Fabled Rubyrada(ATK:1100)! Now, The Fabled Rubyrada tunes Snipe Hunter! Behold the wings guided by great winds. Descend to the Earth and pass judgement on the living! Synchro Summon! Descend, Fabled Valkyrus(ATK:2900)!" I let out a breath, that took a lot of energy out of me despite the fact I didn't physically manifest Valkyrus. There's something unsettling about that new aura. I can't help but feel like it's familiar. But I can't look now, I need to focus on beating Kaoru before he can summon Judgement Dragon. "Valkyrus's monster effect activates! I can discard one card from my hand to draw a new one." I discard Fabled Kushano, the last card in my hand, and draw Twin Twister. This card allows me to destroy two cards in the Spell and Trap zone. "I set one card. Now, Valkyrus attacks your set card!" The card flips to reveal Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter.

"Ryko's monster effect activates! I can destroy one card on your field." Oh no, not Valkyrus, I just summoned him. "I choose the card you just set." Not what I would have gone for, to be perfectly honest, but sure. "Secondly, I send the top three cards of my deck to the grave. Dawn Knight's monster effect activates." Okay seriously, how many monster effects are there? "I can move one Light-Attribute monster from my grave to the top of my deck, and I choose Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn." Great, he's back.

"I end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." Here we go, wait for it. Even though the monster won't have enough attack points to beat Valkyrus. "I summon Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn. Raiden's monster effect activates. I discard the top three cards from my-"

"I know what the effect is. Discard three, if there's a Lightsworn, add 200 attack points."

"Yeah, well. Because Jenis, Lightsworn Mender was sent to the grave, Raiden gains 200 attack points(ATK:1700-1900). Next, Wulf, Lightsworn Beast's monster effect activates. If this card is sent to the grave from my deck, I can Special Summon it(ATK:2100)! Finally, the trap card Lightsworn Judgement activates! If this card is sent to the grave by the effect of a Lightsworn monster, I can add Judgement Dragon to my hand." Shit. Well, I've basically lost then. He's milled enough that he can summon it on his next turn, _great_. "I end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." I need a card that can turn this around. Doppel Warrior, nope. Why? Valkyrus can't stand up to Judgement Dragon with its attack points, and besides, it'll be destroyed through its effect long before that. "Valkyrus attacks Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn!" Kaoru's life points drop to 1400. "I end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." Oh boy, not ready. "I set one monster and I can Special Summon Judgement Dragon if I have four or more Lightsworn monsters in my grave with different names(ATK:3000). Now, Judgement Dragon's monster effect activates. I pay 1000 life points to destroy every card on the field besides Judgement Dragon." Kaoru's life points drop to 400 as he takes a deep breath. "Judgement Dragon attacks you directly."

The direct attack sends me flying and I land on my back. My back aches as I try to get up. Leaning on my elbows, I signal to Kaoru that I'm okay. I look over to Shinij and I freeze. My eyes meet with familiar cobalt ones. Oh gods, why is Yusei here? Wait, he's standing with Shinji and Emiko, is there a reason for him being here? "I end my turn. Judgement Dragon's second effect activates; I send the top four cards of my deck to the grave." As Kaoru ends his turn, I get on my feet and sigh. I'm genuinely confused as to why Kaoru and Yusei always seem to appear at the same. But I can't focus on that now, in order to stand a chance of winning, I need to defeat Judgement Dragon.


	17. Intervention

I take another deep breath. I look away from Yusei. I fear that if I look too long, my dream will come back and I'll lose control of my powers. I can't afford to let that happen. I'm going to be confronted by Kaoru _and_ Yusei in the same day. I need to win this duel and run. Run so far that they can't find me. I could move to another city, change my name and move on with my life. I know that I can't do that. This marker keeps me tied to this City. They know what that marker stands for. I wouldn't get a job, _hell_ , I wouldn't live.

"My turn. I draw." Fabled Ashenveil. This card can't help me defeat Judgement Dragon. Though, good news is that Kaoru's life points are low enough that he can't use its effect again and completely wipe my field. "I set a monster and end my turn." As long as he doesn't summon another monster, I'm fine.

"My turn, I draw." I'm trying to get a good read on Kaoru, he got something helpful I think. "Judgement Dragon attacks your set card! Then I activate the Continuous Spell Earthshattering Event! When a card is sent from either of our decks to the grave, I target one card in either of our graves and shuffle it back into the deck. Then, neither of us can send cards to our graves from our decks for the rest of the turn. Finally, I set a monster and end my turn. Judgement Dragon's monster effect activates; I send the top four cards in my deck to the grave. Then Earthshattering Event's effect activates, I choose a card to be shuffled back into my deck. I choose the Trap Card Call of the Haunted." Well, I've basically lost then. That lets him Special Summon a monster from the grave, which is good for him since I'm pretty sure that he has no more monsters in his deck.

"My turn. I draw." If I get a good draw, I can turn things around- Nope, Guarded Treasure. A Continuous Spell that requires me to have five other cards in my hand to activate, I have one. I'll guess I'll set Doppel Warrior then. "I set a monster and end my turn." Kaoru's getting frustrated, I can tell. This can go one of two ways. Either, Kaoru decks out and loses or I run out of monsters to set. Wait, he can't deck out as long as he has that Spell Card, damn.

"My turn, I draw. Judgement Dragon attacks your set card. I set one card and end my turn. Judgement Dragon's monster effect activates, the top four cards in my deck are sent to the grave." That's it, Kaoru has no cards in his deck. "Then, Earthshattering Event's effect activates, it allows me to shuffle a card back into my deck. I choose the Trap Card Mirror Force." There's only one card in my deck that can help me. A card that will make him deck out next turn. Can I draw it though?

"My turn. I draw." I take a deep breath before I draw. _Nope, today's not my day, is it?_ At least I drew a monster, but that probably won't help. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"My turn, I draw. Judgement Dragon attacks your set card! Then, I activate Call of the Haunted. It lets me Special Summon a monster from the graveyard and I choose Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner!" Great. "Lumina attacks you directly!" The beam of light that Lumina sends towards me knocks me off my feet as my life points hit 0.

I have the worst luck, I swear. Though as part of my deal with Kaoru, I said I wouldn't run away. Kaoru starts walking towards me. He holds out his hand in an effort to help me up off the ground. Maybe if I just calmly walk away, I won't have to deal with Yusei or Kaoru.

"Don't get smart with me. Even if you walk away, that's still breaking our deal." I stare at the hand Kaoru holds out to me.

"I didn't say that out loud." Kaoru freezes as we both stare at each other. I can hear everything, the thoughts bouncing around in his head. He's scared. He's pushing thoughts back about Kasumi and the fear that she'll find out that he's a psychic. The fear that the whole school will find out about him and he'll end up an outcast like Izayoi. I grab Kaoru's hand and stand up. Shinji and Emiko run over towards us. They look between our faces, which are probably somewhere between fear and confusion.

"What's going on?" Shinji asks us, his tone is a bit hesitant.

"We can hear each other's thoughts." It's hard to talk with Kaoru's thoughts bouncing around in my head. I concentrate on the conversation in an effort to block out his thoughts.

"What? But that's impossible! We've met proper telepaths that couldn't read your thoughts." Shinji is understandably confused.

"I know that."

"Telepaths? But I thought psychics just materialised duel monsters." Emiko looks rapidly between Shinji and I. I glance at Yusei, he hasn't said a word.

"Most psychics." I look back at Emiko. "Some psychics have powers beyond that. Some can read auras, some heal quicker, others can talk to spirits and very few are telepaths." I feel like everyone except Shinji is staring at me. "What do you want to talk about?" I turn back to Kaoru.

"Well-"

"Actually, you should sit down." I made a gesture towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. "Using your powers like that tires you out, I don't want you fainting on me." Shinji, Emiko and Yusei hang back as Kaoru and I walk over. They start talking. Shinji apologises to Yusei, something about this not being planned. Does that mean Shinji called Yusei out here? I'm so confused.

"What's the deal between you and Yusei?" Kaoru watches my face. I don't need any of this in my life.

"It's complicated."

"I have all the time in the world." He squints a bit. "You like him, don't you?"

"Shut up!" This is top of the list called 'things I don't need in my life'. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I need your help." I'm able to get a good look at Kaoru's face. I note the features that are similar to mine, same nose, similar eye shape. His hair is a darker shade of my own, much closer to light brown than my own sandy blonde.

"To control your powers?"

"Yes. I can't control them and when you go to Duel Academy, that's not a good thing. Wait, aren't you going to sit down?"

"Nah, don't need to. Been in this game too long for that." Restraining my powers hardly feels like work anymore. Using more powers take more out of me. I pace backwards and forwards. I'm trying to remember how Raiden got me to control my powers. I can almost feel Kaoru's thoughts bouncing off my head, I try to ignore them. Given the fact he's a guy, I probably don't want to hear his thoughts. I hear snippets of Shinji's voice. Something about leaving me until I've calmed down. I stop when I realise that I'm pacing and my brow is furrowed. I tend to do that. He's probably telling Yusei that.

"Who's Raiden?"

"Can you please stop listening to my every thought? I'm blocking yours out."

"Wait, how are you able to do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just focusing on my own thoughts."

"Huh. But seriously, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Not exactly." I don't know if you count friends-with-benefits as dating. Hopefully he didn't hear that.

"Then, is that guy over there your boyfriend?" Okay, maybe he didn't hear that. If he doesn't react in the next few seconds to that, I'm good.

"Shinji is not my boyfriend. What's your obsession with me having a boyfriend?" I sigh, I swear that he's going to give me an aneurysm.

"I'm your brother, it's my responsibility to protect you from guys."

"Oh you think you have to protect me?" Nothing infuriates me more than someone trying to protect me, almost like I can't protect myself. It's mostly guys that do this, and given the fact most of the people I know are guys, you can see the problem here.

"It's my job as your big brother." I sigh again, I give up.

"Fine, but training to control your powers is a lot of work, are you sure that you're up for it?"

"Yes, I need to control them." Right, I need to remember what Raiden thought me. Considering the fact that I'm not talking to Raiden at the moment, I need to remember. Given that, I probably can't ask anyone from Black Flag for help.

"Black Flag?" Damn it. Kaoru starts raising his voice. "You mean the biggest duel gang in the City? How are you involved with them?"

"Well-"

"You see, here's the thing." Shinji approaches us. "You're looking at the leader of one of the biggest duel gangs in the City." He smirks. I feel like he's showing me off like a prize, I sigh. He's been listening in our conversation.

"I'm not the _leader_ , so to say, it's more of a figurehead position."

"Yuuka, is that true?" Emiko speaks up.

"Yeah, but that's not important."

"Yeah right!" Kaoru's angry, oh boy. "Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you got yourself hurt?"

"I know what the job entails. Didn't I tell you that it's dangerous to be around me? Now, you know why." I glance over at Yusei, our eyes meet. My hands start shaking, but I cross my arms over my chest to hide it. I'm trying to read his aura. Then, I freeze. Why would Yusei have an aura to begin with? He's not a psychic, I know that for certain. Strange. Maybe it's because he's a Signer, and that's why I could get an aura from Kiryu. Just thinking about his aura gives me the chills. My duel with Yusei flashes into my head. Thankfully, Shinji and Emiko are getting on like a house on fire and keep talking. I ignore what they're saying.

_You should probably talk to Yusei._

I look at Kaoru, wide eyed. How did he manage to do that?

_I don't know to be honest. But from what I've heard in your thoughts, you need to sort things out with him. I'll distract the other two if you want._

Wait, now? No, I don't think I can deal with that right now.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go get food or something? It would be better than standing out here." Kaoru asks like he's saying it out of the blue. Shinji and Emiko agree with him, that's the typical for them. They love food, like _a lot_. I suppose they've got that in common. Kaoru's eyebrows are slightly raised when he looks towards me.

"Nah, I'm going to head home." I glance at Yusei and move my eyes to behind us. Hopefully he gets the message.

"I'll walk you home." Yusei cuts in almost immediately. I can see Shinji smirking from the corner of my eye. He knows that I can see him so he covers his mouth with his hand and tries to play it off as a cough.

"Right, I'll talk to you all later." I instantly turn on my heels and start walking away, with Yusei following close behind.

We walk in silence for a good while. I try reading his aura again. I feel like he keeps going to say something, but doesn't. I sigh and turn to him.

"We need to talk." It's now or never, I suppose.

"We do." He has that earnest look in his eyes. I imagine he wouldn't have let me go without us talking. My heart is starting to pound.

"I know the place." I don't think I could bear bringing Yusei back to my apartment. It's not clean enough for that, I'd be too embarrassed. The park should be fine. It's basically dark out now, so there should be very few people around. A part of me is dreading this. I'll have to face that guilt that I've been avoiding for the last three months. I'll have to look Yusei in the eye and tell him that I made a huge mistake and I'll probably never forgive myself. Admit the fact that a part of me actually _wanted_ to kill him, that it wasn't a side effect of me being that close to the Gate of the Underworld. Then again, this is actually what another part of me wanted. Admit this and move on with my life. Let go of that guilt, because I've learned from my mistakes. I would have Yusei in my life again and attempt to have a shred of normality in my mess of a life.


	18. Heart to Heart

Yusei and I sit in silence for a while on the park bench. I'm struggling to find something to say. What do I say? What _can_ I say? Finding a place to start is the hardest part. Four years without as much as a conversation. I notice that Yusei is looking at my face, I should probably break my habit of biting my lips. He must be waiting until I'm ready to talk.

"Honestly, I have no idea where to start." I offer up a nervous smile as I rub my arms, it's gotten quite chilly. To be quite honest, I find that Yusei's presence is distracting. It almost feels foreign, like my mind can barely comprehend the fact that I'm _actually_ talking to Yusei right now. His aura is almost overwhelming, but not in the way Raiden's aura is. Raiden's aura burns red hot, any form of contact is electrifying. My skin tingles even thinking about it. Yusei's aura is softer, almost like being surrounded in a warm embrace. I'm still not used to the feel of his aura though. It's still a bit stifling.

"Who were you dueling earlier? Shinji told me that his name is Kaoru." Okay, that starting point I can deal with.

"That was my brother."

"Your brother? But I thought-" Confusion is evident on his face.

"Well, turns out that the woman I thought was my mother wasn't actually my mother, and I've had family in the City the whole time." It's been four years since I've discovered this, but still my heart breaks a little every time I remember it.

"Really? That's great." I imagine that would sound amazing to someone who is actually an orphan. To have a family, to _belong_.

"Not really, being from the Satellite and a psychic in this City aren't exactly good traits to have. I never really got along with my birth mother, so I left." I shrug my shoulders. I try not to feel the pain that this discussion normally brings up. "That's why I ran away from you at the Fortune Cup. I saw my brother and I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Yuuka, it's ok-"

"No!" My voice is louder than I want it to be. I don't know where it comes from. "Don't you understand? If I hadn't run away then, I wouldn't have gone to the Satellite looking for you." The words keep coming out of my mouth. "I wouldn't have let myself believe Kiryu's lies. I wouldn't have," I can feel tears starting to burn my eyes, "I wouldn't have become a Dark Signer!" There it is, what I've been trying to avoid for the last two months. I'm a stupid coward, that's what I am. I clench my fists to try stop them shaking. "I'm so sorry." I can't bear to look at Yusei so I stare at my hands in the lap instead. "I ruined everything. It's all my fault." I unclench my fists as tears fall and start to seep into my gloves. I stare at my hands as they shake. They haven't been this bad in a long time. Strangely, no memories are passing through my head, just an unshakable guilt. I can't imagine how he could ever forgive me, how we could move past this.

I close my eyes as more tears start to roll down my face. My body shakes with the weight of my guilt. I join my hands together in the hopes of getting the shaking to stop. Just as I do, Yusei grabs my hands in his own. My eyes dart up to his face. I try to blink the tears away. I can't help but stare into his eyes. I can't believe he's still doing this after all these years. Every time my hands used to shake when we were kids, he used to hold my hands like this until they stopped shaking.

"No, you didn't." My hands have started to steady. "It's okay, I forgive you." I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I believe him. There's a softness to his eyes that makes my heart flutter. But still, no matter how many times he may say that, that dream will still haunt me. I almost don't want him to forgive me. That would be letting me off easy, avoiding the issue entirely. I was wrong, I tried to actually kill him. Why won't he acknowledge that?

"You do, but I don't think I can forgive myself." I can imagine Yusei's response already. I try to change the subject. "Besides, why did you show up today? I know it wasn't a coincidence that you just happened to be there."

"Your friend Shinji got in touch with me. He said that you were having some trouble, and he thought that I was the only person that could help." I nod at him. I'm at a loss for what to say. I wonder if Shinji said anything more than that. "You're lucky to have friends like that."

"I suppose you're right." A small smile manages to break out on my face. Shinji and Reika are pretty good friends to have. "Though, I've always had good friends." It takes my eyes meeting Yusei's to make me realise what I've just said. Horrendously cheesy nonsense. He's probably thinking that I'm trying to come onto him or something, oh no. "Enough about me, have you seen much of Jack and Crow lately?" Good, that'll take the attention off me and what happened between us.

"Actually, we've found a place in the City and we're living together again."

"Wow, it must feel like the good ol' days." I want to be happy for them, but a part of me is sad to hear this. It seems like they've found some normality. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in purgatory, struggling for a chance at freedom. While I'm connected to Black Flag, I'll never be normal. I think back to what Shinji asked me. We could leave, but it won't be that easy. "That must be nice."

"Yeah, but it's still not same." He smiles, for a second I believe that it means that it's not the same without me. We sit in silence for a while again. I've calmed down a good bit. As long as I don't start crying again, I'll be good. I think getting that out of my system has made me feel a bit better. That's the problem of being surrounded by people who, in terms of experience with the supernatural, are for all intents and purposes are normal. No one would believe me, so I can tell no one. If I told someone, I would probably end up in a straitjacket.

I stare at the sky, there's no stars tonight. I feel less nostalgic than I imagined. We did this all the time back in the Satellite. I wonder how Yusei is feeling right now. His aura is hard to read. I wonder if he's feeling nostalgic. I turn to Yusei again. Looking at his face gives me the impression that I've forgotten something. I don't remember what happened after my duel with him. I just woke up where we had dueled and sobbed until someone found me. I know that more happened, I just can't remember it. Judging by how Yusei's acting, something definitely happened. Maybe it was something I said, or something I did. I just hope it wasn't something stupid that could possibly ruin our friendship or anything. That feeling manages to give me a shiver down my spine.

"We should probably get out of the cold." I'm not particularly cold, but okay. I nod anyway.

* * *

We don't talk as we walk back. I can tell that Yusei's mind is going ninety. I'm confident that if I listen closely, I would actually hear the gears turning in his head. The longer I leave it, the more awkward I'm convinced the silence feels. Maybe I should say something. I ask about Jack and Crow. Apparently, they still squabble as much as they did back then. That thought comforts me somehow. Jack has started refusing to get a job, which, in turn, has started to drive Crow up the wall. I laugh, it seems Crow is the sensible one. It's seems stranger when I realise that Jack would probably have the easiest time getting a job, you know with the whole 'not marked' thing.

It feels strange. I'm so close to reuniting with everyone, this is what I wanted. But, I feel like something is missing. I don't feel like I've accomplished anything, I feel like I've earned none of this. Raiden comes back into my mind. But, that just confuses me more. If Raiden knew I was here, he'd probably yell at me for a bit, then I'd cry and storm out. Maybe, that's the problem. He attempts to control everything in my life. Everything, from who I spend my time with to Black Flag. And I let him. Time and time again, I let him manipulate me. He's the reason I never went back to the Satellite. He fed the seeds of doubt back then. He confirmed my insecurities. I won't blame him for what happened. That blame is solely on my shoulders, but I won't deny Raiden played his part. Maybe, I should leave Raiden out of my life for good. I've told myself so many times that I should. But, I just _can't_. Something about him makes me keep coming back. Call it his charm, I guess. Sentiment, because he helped me when I was at my lowest. Well, second lowest now I suppose. Leaving Black Flag would be a stepping stone. Though, I doubt Raiden would let me. I suppose I could duel him if the time comes, no matter how dangerous it may be.

Then, I realise that Yusei and I have reached the Daimon Area already. I suppose I should _really_ say something now. Despite how I'm feeling, I can't allow this to be the last time I see Yusei. No matter how much I want to run, I need to keep Yusei in my life if I ever want to 'recover'. I doubt I ever can, but it's best to have hope. Now, the problem is saying that without coming off as desperate. He's still deep in thought, only snapping out of it if we turn a corner. I wonder what has him like that. He could be thinking about anything, from me to his D-Wheel, though I feel the latter is more likely.

"You should come over sometime." Yusei says this as we stop outside my apartment building. He pauses for a beat before continuing. "I'm sure Jack and Crow would be happy to see you."

"Yeah, I'd like that." I smile. "I want to see them too." As a small smile starts to break out on Yusei's face, I can't help but stare at his lips. _Nope._ I am _not_ adding 'kissing Yusei' to the very long list of bad decisions I've made in my life. "Wait, do you know how to get back from here?" I pray to whatever's up there that he didn't notice me staring at his lips. That would be infinitely awkward, and I don't want that.

"Yes, I'm fine. Where we're living isn't too far from where you work." It's strange, Yusei's been so close all this time, yet I've been none the wiser. Then again, why would Yusei, Jack or Crow go near a boutique in the first place?

"Oh good, well, goodnight then." I start to turn around to walk away. I can't help but feel like that in another lifetime, he might have walked me home after a date. We might have caught a film, had some dinner and then a kiss goodnight. You know, something normal. Not some desperate attempt from Shinji to get me out of my depression.

"Goodnight." Yusei nods slightly before he walks away. My gaze lingers on his back for a while as he gets further away. It's strange, I actually feel kind of _happy_. I almost don't feel alone in the world anymore. A lot has happened today. I feel like this day will change everything. A final gear slipping into place, causing everything to move in sync.

As I enter my apartment, I notice my phone onto the counter. I can't believe I forgot it. Then again, I only noticed now. I look through the various texts I've gotten today. None from Raiden, unusual. Just Shinji telling me to wait for him after work. Then, two numbers I don't recognise. A smile breaks out on my face. Emiko sent me a text saying that we should go shopping soon with a bunch of emojis, then signed off with her name. Kaoru's text is the stranger of the two, he wants to meet tomorrow at the park. I'm honestly a bit confused. Clearly, he's referring to the training he wants to help control his powers. The park is an odd choice, but I'll roll with it. I suppose it isn't the worst place to meditate. My mind comes back to the fact that Kaoru and I can hear each other's thoughts. It puzzles me, how is this possible? Most psychics who are telepaths find my mind difficult to read. Why was Kaoru able to do that without noticing? It's undoubtedly helpful. Maybe, that's what we need. I need to call Takumi. If I leave Black Flag, I'll be free to take up his offer. That is what this City needs. Maybe it's what I need to get out of my funk. But first, I'd need to face up to Raiden. Suddenly, that concept doesn't seem as scary. I'll have Kaoru and Shinji by my side, I don't need to be afraid. Maybe, with everyone by my side, I'll have a chance at freedom.


	19. Starting From Scratch

My mind is groggy as I try to get the boiling hot coffee into me as soon as possible. For once, I didn't have that dream. Though, I'm no more rested from the lack of it. I woke up much later than I normally do, feeling like I got hit by a train. It's strange, Kaoru hasn't reached out to me at all. Sure, he messaged me asking to meet here but he hasn't even sent me a thought. I don't want to intrude on his thoughts, but it feels weird that I've sensed nothing from him. Maybe he heard my thoughts during my time with Yusei and, understandably, is confused and wants to talk about it in person. At least, that sounds like something Kaoru would do. Though, it's possible that Kaoru is weirded out by this whole 'telepathy' thing and wants nothing to do with it. Honestly, that's more likely. If this happened to me when I first got my powers, I would have been freaked out more than I already was.

Thinking about that time brings Raiden to mind. I've decided that I'm leaving Black Flag for good. I need to take a break from being around Raiden and find out how much of the current me is him. I refuse to be manipulated by anyone. Not again. I mean look how it turned out last time. I need to bring Kaoru into this. As another psychic, he's pretty important to make sure Raiden doesn't manipulate me into staying, be it physically or mentally. Shinji will be leaving too. But since he's not a psychic, he'll be powerless against Raiden. Heck, looking back now, I'm only the figurehead leader of Black Flag because Raiden was able to manipulate me.

"What's with the long face?" I almost jump out of my skin as Kaoru calls out to me. I'm squinting at him in disbelief. I should have sensed him coming. Then again, I did have trouble sensing his aura yesterday. But somehow, this feels different. Like it's me and not him. Being startled like that has suddenly made me aware how close I am to falling into the fountain that I'm currently sitting on the edge of.

"Shouldn't you be able to tell?" Kaoru takes a seat near me as I take another sip of my coffee. I'm slightly more upset than I should be since I've nearly finished it. "I mean, you can read my thoughts after all."

"Nah, it's hard to make out your thoughts. I can get some things, but not much." I glance into Kaoru's thoughts. He's telling the truth. He heard parts of my conversation with Yusei, but he won't bring that up in case I start crying again. _Great_. He thinks I'm a cry-baby. He hasn't gotten much after that, I think. "It's strange. When we were together yesterday, I heard your thoughts much better. Maybe it's because I tried to block them out and that's why I can't hear them like I used to." He's looking at me like he expects me to know the answer. Today's gonna be a long day.

"Probably. I mean, I can't say for certain." Kenta's guess would be better than mine. His mind is like that. He takes in so much information and spouts it out like no tomorrow. I don't know how he does it. To be honest, he makes me feel stupid.

"Getting to the point, what are you doing about my training?" I almost sigh out loud. Kaoru hasn't changed much. "Are we going to duel or what?"

"No. You're not dueling, at least, not now." I'm not in the mood for more scratches and cuts right now. My hand subconsciously reaches for a scab from yesterday. "Besides, you need to train your mind before you can duel." I, admittedly, have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm just going with the flow.

"Wait. Why would I need to train my mind? Isn't it a matter of dueling until I stop hurting people?" Oh, if only it were that easy.

"No. It's not that simple. Psychic powers aren't controlled by something physical, that's why you're not training your body for this." I sigh. You think after dueling at least twice with his powers, he would have figured that out. "Powers tend to get stronger the more you can't control yourself. You need to be able to calm yourself down on the flip of a dime. You'll be practicing meditating. This will help you control your breathing. If you feel like you're losing control, just focus on your breathing and hope it works. Any questions?"

"Yeah, what's the story with you and Black Flag? When Shinji said you were the leader, you said it was more of a figurehead position. What does that mean?" What does that have to do with anything? I sigh.

"I joined them after I moved in with Dad. See, gangs are filled with psychics so you can see why I joined." I try gloss over as quick as possible. "Raiden is technically the leader of Black Flag. He chose me to be more of a figurehead leader. I lead anything got to do with fighting, while Raiden dealt with the other leaders, you know, like, talking with them."

"Chose? But doesn't that mean you didn't want to be?" He's asking so many questions.

"Kind of. At first, I was against the idea. Eventually, I came around to it. Well, it was more of Raiden ignoring me until I said yes."

"Wait." His brow furrows. "So, he basically made you do it?"

"Kind of." I do not want to get into a discussion about my relationship with Raiden right now, considering I'm about to end it. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to you about something." He nods, he's a bit hesitant. A few of his thoughts slip into my head. He's running over every possible topic I could talk about. He figures it's about Yusei. A part of me is offended. Then again, I don't blame him. "No, it's not that." He looks at me confused, then relaxes. Probably remembering that I can hear his thoughts with ease. "I'm leaving Black Flag."

"Good." He almost scoffs. "It's not safe for someone like you to be in a gang." He has no idea, does he? "What? It has something to do with Yusei, doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't!" I feel like my voice just raised an octave. "Well, not entirely. But that's not the point. It's not safe for someone like me?" I'm sure whether to scoff or laugh. "You've failed to notice that I'm a lot stronger than you are, pal."

"What? Impossible!" Kaoru is awfully dismissive of that statement. If he pulls the gender card, I swear that I'll beat him up.

"I'm serious. I've trained my body and my mind. How do you think I can control my powers?"

"Didn't you just say that training your body doesn't matter? Sounds like you're talking out of your ass." Okay, now I'm starting to get frustrated.

"Just, not now." He's caught me. Training your body has no effect. It's more of a factor that helps me feel me confident in myself. I can deal with situations in which I can't control my powers, so I can fight with my fists and not with my deck. "Right, any more questions before we start?" I move to stand up. I send Kaoru a look telling him not to ask any more questions. He seems to get the idea as he shakes his head.

Throwing my now empty coffee cup out, I think about where we could go meditate. Anywhere that's not beside the paths should be fine. We end up sitting next to a cluster of trees. The trees are bare, the leaves have long since been blown away. Luckily for us, the grass is dry so we have no problems sitting down. Kaoru sits across from me, looking at me expectedly. I try gather my thoughts. I still have no idea what I'm doing. Just because meditation worked for me doesn't mean it will work for him. All I can do is hope I suppose. I don't want him to drop out of Duel Academy when he's so close to finishing. He has a future. He could do anything he wants. Study anything, _be_ anything. I don't want my shortcomings to be the reason he doesn't succeed.

"So?" Kaoru raises his eyebrows. I sigh. "What's the deal with this whole meditation thing?"

"I told you. It helps control your breathing and it helps you calm down."

"Seems like a load of spiritual bull to me." Must resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Well, I didn't hurt you in our duel, did I?" He shuts up. "Besides, in meditation, you enter a state where you are completely at ease. You're not thinking of anything." How do I even explain this? It works for me, that's all he should care about. "Remember I said some psychics have other powers?" He nods. "Well, I can read people's auras. An aura is basically a type of, well, energy that psychics emit. I can feel auras when I'm near to someone, and I can tell certain things about them. Depending on who it is, I can tell how they're feeling, how they're thinking. If I'm able to get a good enough read, sometimes I'm able to predict what they're going to do. There's limits of course, but I get some basic guesses." Okay, I should really get to the point. "Well, if a psychic starts to use their powers or loses control of them, I can feel it. Psychics who meditate- yes, people other than me meditate- are able to control this. They're able to subdue their powers. If you're able to do this, you most likely never have issues dueling, like me."

"Okay." He pauses to take all of this information in. I stare at the cluster of trees as I wait. I'm filled with a sense of melancholy as I look at the bare branches. I've always hated winter. It's just the inevitable destruction before the rebirth of spring. Something clicks inside me. Is that what Kenta meant that day at the Fortune Cup? "Do you think that I could read auras?" I snap out of my thoughts and focus my attention on Kaoru. "You know, since you can?"

"Maybe. Not quite sure. I mean every psychic is different. Just because we're related doesn't mean we'll have the same experiences. Though, it's a possibility. Actually, pay no mind to it for the minute, you need to control your powers first before you do anything else." He's actually disappointed by this. Does he think being a psychic is fun? I mean, even with reading auras, you're basically intruding on their inner thoughts. Sure, you can't hear their actual thoughts, but something you can make a pretty good guess. What part of that is fun? I mean, I read people's auras, though that's more out of the situation I'm in rather than me wanting to do it. Hell, I barely look into Kaoru's thoughts because I don't want to intrude on his privacy.

"Okay, but you make it seem like you can't read everyone's auras. What's the deal with that?" I'm genuinely confused as to why Kaoru keeps avoiding the meditation he's supposed to be doing. I sigh. I suppose I would have liked someone to answer all of my questions when I discovered that I am a psychic.

"You see, here's the thing. I can read some auras. Some people are good at hiding their emotions, sometimes this means that their aura is basically blurred and it's hard to read. I mean, sometimes that person could be closed off. Though, you are able to read those auras better if you know the person and pick up little tidbits on how they act, that can help." Yusei comes to mind. It's strange, his aura was really hard to read. I thought I knew Yusei well enough that I could read his aura no problem. Guess I was wrong. Then again, I thought he became power hungry. Thinking back to that time just confuses me more. It almost doesn't feel real. I mean, a fated ancient war from five thousand years ago being waged in the Satellite of all places? I basically came back to life in an attempt at revenge, then I wake up in the Satellite like nothing happened in my regular clothes. A part of me is convinced that I got really drunk and imagined the whole thing, but I know that's wrong.

"What's wrong?" I snapped violently out of my thoughts, I look at him in shock. "I mean, there's something wrong with you. I can feel a darkness around you, like yesterday."

"Are you reading my aura?" He's right, but I can't let him know that. He wouldn't believe me.

"I don't think so. What I'm feeling doesn't sound like what you're feeling." Could this be why he keeps prodding the subject? "I think that's why you're not yourself. That darkness is stopping you."

"That's what happens when you're like me, I suppose."

"You're wrong." His eyes are completely serious; he's not going to take my word on this. "Shinji told me that you went to find Yusei after the Fortune Cup." Oh no. "He said when you came back you were different, like you'd seen hell." I did literally fall into hell, or the Gate to the Underworld, whichever you prefer. "Apparently, you told him that you didn't find Yusei and you never said more than that. I know you're lying, the way you and Yusei look at each other, something must have happened." I don't need this right now. Wait, _each other_? As in the way Yusei looks at me? That makes no sense, why would he look at me differently? It must be Kaoru's imagination. Yeah, that's right, his _imagination_. No, I can't. I refuse to dwell on this now.

"You're right, but that doesn't matter right now."

"So I am right? What happened then?" Okay, he's really starting to piss me off.

"Meditating." I'm not going to answer to him. I think he's trying to rile me up on purpose. "Sit up straight, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Your mind should be clear of all thoughts." Kaoru shuts up and does what I tell him. It leaves me with some peace of mind, though it does leave me with my thoughts. I should probably go visit Yusei, Jack and Crow while I have a few days off work. I'm nervous at the mere prospect of that. Not out of seeing them for the first time in four years. Jack and Crow know what I did. I don't know what they'll say, what they'll think. It's terrifying to think that they may not want to see me. _No_ , Yusei said that they would be happy to see me. I'm going to believe Yusei. I need to stop doubting myself and go with my instinct.

Oh yeah, I still have to talk to Takumi about his offer. It's decided, I'm definitely bringing Kaoru into this. With our telepathic abilities, he'd be a hindrance if he wasn't involved. Though, first I'd need to leave Black Flag, which means I have to talk with Shinji. I'll involve Kaoru in that again because his ' _I don't like any guys near my sister because I know what guys are really like_ ' attitude will come in use around Raiden. I kind of feel bad that I'm dragging Kaoru into all of this. Then again, he forced himself back into my life because I see myself in him back when I discovered my powers. It's dangerous for him, and I'm sure he knows it. Certain people could target him in order to get to me. Lure me out, and finish me. Send someone to overthrow Raiden, and they'll have a good chunk of territory on their hands. That's why having anyone not from Black Flag around me is a terrifying concept. What if me seeing Yusei, Jack and Crow now causes trouble for them? What would I do? I mean they should be strong enough to protect themselves. But the thing is, they're not very well equipped to deal with psychics. Any situation in which they're cornered by them wouldn't end well. I mean what if-

"It's not working." I sigh. Admittedly, I over-exaggerate the sigh, but I feel that I'm justified here.

"Just keep trying. Try not to think of anything." I could meditate in the hopes of guiding him, but by the way my thoughts are going, that's not going to happen. My train of thought has been broken, which is a good thing to be honest. I try to think of ways I can help Kaoru, but my mind is pretty hazy. My mind seems to blank on anything to do with training to control my powers. I suppose the trauma of that whole experience caused me to suppress the memory. My mind seems to go from 'can't control powers' to 'suddenly can control powers', which makes no sense at all. Though my life has never really made sense to begin with.

Maybe meditation isn't the right way to go about this. Kaoru said that he had trouble hearing my thoughts. If I could get that to work, maybe meditation would come easier. Since, that's a block in his mind. I close my eyes as well. I try sending thoughts into Kaoru's head. I focus on his aura and try to get his attention. If we could communicate just in our minds, that would be fantastic. It would give us a huge advantage in what's coming up. I try to keep my mind from that topic. Kaoru could be listening to my thoughts, it's always a possibility. I keep trying to gently poke his mind. I'm starting to grow tired of this, I don't think it's going to work.

_What do you want? You told me to meditate, didn't you?_

Well, I just wanted to see if we could do this.

_Do what? We're not doing anything._

You do realise that neither of us are talking out loud right now?

At that, I feel Kaoru's concentration break. He stares at me wide eyed. His eyes move around ever so slightly as he tries to comprehend what just happened. Though, in fairness, I'm as surprised as he is. I didn't expect that to work, to be honest.

_Does it still work?_ Kaoru keeps trying. His aura is telling me that he's almost afraid.

Yeah, I can hear you.

Kaoru stays silent for a while. His mind is clearly working so fast that he's not bothering to form words.

"That's pretty cool." He finally says something.

"Yeah, we talk shit about someone while we're around them, amazing."

"Is that a girl thing?"

"No." I pause. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"You already know that, shut up." I chuckle at his expense. It feels weird being around Kaoru again, just being ourselves. It feels like it's been centuries since we last did this. I wonder will it still be like this when everything is finished. Here's hoping anyway.

I reckon at least a few hours have passed by the time I start to fall asleep. Kaoru still hasn't got the hang of the whole 'meditation' thing. Though, I'm pretty sure it's because he doesn't know how to stop himself thinking. A part of me can relate, but then again, I often space out and when I snap out of it, it's been a substantial length of time.

Okay, seriously, I'm hungry and tired now. That's _not_ a good combination for me. To be nice, I should probably invite Kaoru over for dinner. I suppose I could invite Shinji, then I bring up Black Flag. Sounds like a good idea. Though I will have to sit on the floor, but _ah well_.

"Hey, you hungry?" Kaoru breaks out of his concentration. I notice how tired he is. I can imagine that concentrating a lot like that can be tiring.

"Oh gods, yes." His shoulders fall slightly, causing him to hunch and ruin the perfect posture he's been holding for a while.

"I'm making stir fry tonight, do you want to come over?" He needs to say yes, or I need to rework my plan.

"Yeah sure, it beats paying for food."

"Are you sure I'm not going to charge you?" He freezes for a second, and I start to laugh. "I'm joking, I'm joking. At least for now." A smirk creeps onto my face. I'm sure that Kaoru is cursing me inside of his head.

I wonder how Kaoru is going to deal with the next few days. I plan to be out of Black Flag within the next few days, and then the fun _really_ starts. A lot of information is going to be given very quickly to him, and he'll need to take all of it on board. Though, if I take it one step at a time, I suppose I should come out alright at the end. At least, I hope so.


	20. Dinner and Decisions

I sent Shinji a text before Kaoru and I left the park, telling him I was making stir fry for dinner. So, it honestly didn't surprise me when I see Shinji standing outside of my apartment when we get there. Kaoru turns to me in shock. He knew that I sent Shinji a text, but he must have assumed that he'd show up much later.

"Shinji would probably break into my apartment if it meant he could eat my food quicker." Kaoru seems confused that I didn't use a joking tone, but no, I am completely serious.

"In fairness, I probably would." Shinji laughs. Kaoru is still confused at this. Probably since I told him that Shinji is not my boyfriend. I start to laugh too. Though, I'm laughing at the thought of Shinji being my boyfriend. I open the door to my apartment and invite them both inside. I notice that Kaoru leaves his shoes beside the door, despite the fact that neither me or Shinji take our shoes off. I watch Kaoru's face as he looks around my tiny apartment.

"It's lovely." Kaoru pauses before saying 'lovely'. I don't need to be a psychic to tell that he's just being nice.

"There's no need to sugar-coat it." I move over into the kitchen and pull out a wok from the drawer. "You two can sit on the bed."

"Where will you sit?" I can see Kaoru glancing around the room from the corner of my eye as I start chopping up some veg. Kaoru and Shinji are both quite broad and since they're both guys, there's some kind of law that they can't sit too close together, so they take up most of the bed.

"On the floor, of course."

"No, I'm your guest so I should be sitting on the floor." I sigh. I'm not having the 'I'm your guest' and 'you're my guest' argument today.

"Dude," Shinji thankfully answers Kaoru, "Don't start that. Just let her sit on the floor."

"Yeah, I'm from the Satellite. If you think sitting on the floor bothers me, you've got another thing coming." I look over to Kaoru. It's then that I notice a lunch box sitting on the corner of counter. I send Shinji a deadpan look. "Do you want me to give you leftovers for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah, actually, that would be great, thank you." I think the sarcasm just flew over Kaoru's head. I take out another scallion to make sure I've enough veg in the stir fry.

"What? Does this happen normally?" Shinji looks at Kaoru in amazement, then he turns slowly to look at me.

"Are you _sure_ you're related?" I mean I get where Shinji is coming from, with Kaoru not totally getting the whole sarcasm thing and with me being the most sarcastic being in existence. But _come on_ , we look too alike to not be related. Heck, we pass for twins.

"Yes." I shrug my shoulders. "Unfortunately." I throw all of the veg into the now-hot wok.

"Hey!" I can almost hear the gears turning in Kaoru's head trying to come up with a remark, but he fails to find one and stays quiet. It's curious that Shinji is remaining so quiet, normally he would do most of the talking.

"What's Reika up to today?" I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. It's faint, but I can sense an aura from Shinji. I try to ignore it. Questioning now would get me nowhere. It's probably a side effect of being related to Raiden Kimura, one of the strongest psychics in Neo Domino right now.

"Having dinner with her mother. Apparently there's a screw loose in her wheelchair or something."

"Huh strange, normally she has dinner there tomorrow. Though, that makes sense now." I swear Kaoru now lives in a constant state of confusion. I look at him over my shoulder. "Reika's mom is in a wheelchair."

"Ah okay." He nods slowly. He's unsure how to react because of Reika's mom's disability. Common thing actually, because people tend to focus on the irregularity rather than the person. Same thing happens with psychics and people from the Satellite. Though, I think it's just a 'City thing'. "Who's Reika then?"

"My girlfriend. Though, Yuuka was friends with us before we got together." Kaoru lets out a sigh of relief. Shinji stares at Kaoru, he looks like he's about to break out in laughter. "Wait, you thought that we were-" Shinji and I burst out laughing. The thought of actually dating Shinji is too funny that I can't help it. "No, no, we'd never."

"Oh okay." I think Kaoru is having problems adjusting to our rhythm.

"Besides, Yusei is the one you should keep an eye on." Shinji sends a smirk in my direction, while I give him a deadpan look.

"No, not this again."

"I mean, you do seem a lot better today and I think Yusei has something to do with that. What, did you invite him in yesterday?" Then, Shinji has the _gall_ to make a suggestive glance at my bed. I can feel my face becoming bright red. Kaoru scrutinises Shinji's face. He's suddenly on edge.

"You what now?" Kaoru is taking what Shinji said as fact. Oh gods, I'm so embarrassed. This didn't even happen! Though, the thought of _that_ happening by itself is enough to make me blush.

"Excuse me." My voice has raised in pitch significantly. "No, I did _not_ invite him in. It was so messy in here. I would be too embarrassed." Why did Shinji have to put _that_ image into my head? Like I didn't need that in my life.

"Anyway, speaking of Yusei." I honestly scared of what's going to come out of Shinji's mouth next. "He asked me for your number this morning. So, he'll probably text you soon if he hasn't already." Oh yeah, in my 'post-crying' emotional state, I forgot to give Yusei my number. Honestly, I'm not sure how I forgot. I mean how else was I going to organise going over without the ability to contact him?

"Oh alright, grand." I should probably go over before I start work again. Or else, I'll have to go visit them after work. Then I'll be too tired to make noises that sound remotely human, yet alone hold a conversation. Judging by the fact, I haven't properly talked to Jack and Crow in four years, there will be a lot of that. The real dilemma is whether I go over before or after I leave Black Flag. I mean it might be easier to go after the fact, so I can brush off any discussion of duel gangs with 'oh I've already left'. "And yes, I am feeling a bit better because I got some things off my chest." It's true. I think admitting my cowardice lead to me becoming a Dark Signer was the first step in me starting to heal.

I start plating up the stir fry. I don't have enough plates so one lucky person gets to eat from a bowl. Begrudgingly, I put a portion into the lunchbox Shinji put on the counter. I hand the plates to Shinji and Kaoru, taking the bowl for myself and take a seat on the floor. Shinji tucks in immediately and is in his own personal heaven. Kaoru looks at his plate and then up at me.

"Did you put any meat in this?" Kaoru asks. Ah bless.

"Look around, do I look like I can afford meat? Heck, getting fresh veg is expensive these days. And with this marker, you can't afford to shop around." The real world is harsh, buddy. No bridge or 'unification' is going to solve that.

"What were you two up to today?" Shinji pipes up. "Were you training like you said yesterday?" He looks towards Kaoru. I imagine they probably talked about that when they got food yesterday.

"Yeah." Kaoru answers him. "I tried practicing meditating. It's so hard. Have you ever tried not thinking of anything? It's impossible."

"Oh totally. You should see Yuuka when she meditates. She's so still, it barely looks like she's breathing. It's actually kind of creepy."

"You think so?" Shinji has never mentioned anything like that.

"Yes. Literally nothing can break you out of it. I've seen you just sit there while Raiden keeps calling you. Seriously, what's up with that?"

"Let's put it this way, he likes keeping tabs on me. He's started to do that less, though." Ever since I've come back from the Satellite, there's been this gap between Raiden and I. It's strange. Before the Fortune Cup, I would have cried and tried to get him to talk to me. Now, I'm perfectly fine. The time apart has cleared my head, the distance has soured my mind. When I think of him now, I just think of all the times he clearly manipulated me into doing what he wants. Like that time, he tried to get me not go to the Fortune Cup. How did I not see it back then? Holding my hand, speaking softly. Raiden would never do that normally.

"Really?" Shinji acts like he doesn't believe me. "I don't know you put up with him."

"Don't talk about your cousin that way." He gives me this look that tells me he knows that I say the same things about Raiden when he's not around. He's true, but I'm not going to tell him that. "Speaking of Raiden, there's something I need to talk to you two about." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Once I come out with this, there's no going back.

"I knew it." Shinji stares at me like he's trying to read me. "Though I didn't expect you'd bring Kaoru into this."

"Bring me into what?" His aura tells me that he's ever so slightly frightened. Then again, he doesn't know the full extent of my relationship with Raiden.

"Well, a couple of months ago, before the Fortune Cup, Shinji brought up something." I pause and bite the inside of my cheek. I've practiced what I'm going to say again and again, but somehow the words seem to escape me. "Shinji started to consider the possibility of leaving Black Flag. The problem of being in a gang is that, when you're of a high rank, you're never really safe. If you get too close to anyone, there's always the chance that they could be used against you in order to get more power. Shinji and I knew that we couldn't carry on forever. So, we have to leave. But only now, I have decided to leave Black Flag. I've realised that I now have more people to consider than just myself."

"So, Yusei?" Shinji sends me a knowing smirk. He's assuming something happened between Yusei and I when he walked me home. Nothing _did_ happen, but he likes to imagine something did. I try to make some rebuttal, but I can't get the words out. I sigh.

"No, not just Yusei." I mean I'm also putting Jack, Crow and Kaoru in danger. "But, he is a part of it."

"But why am I here?" I think Kaoru is starting to get tired of constantly being confused, I can hear the irritation in his voice.

"Well," I take a deep breath, "In order to leave Black Flag, I have to get Raiden to agree. And that's the problem. I don't know about Shinji, but he's not going to let me go easily. I want you to be there in case things go sour." As much as I would like to deny the possibility of that happening, I can't lie in saying that it couldn't happen.

"Why would it go sour though?"

"As I said, he likes keeping tabs on me. I don't know how he'll take the news. Psychics aren't known to take bad news well." I mean, as much as that is a stereotype, it's kind of spot-on to be honest.

"When are we going to do it then?" Shinji crosses his arms. I take another deep breath. I feel like with every word I say, this decision becomes more final. I am right in what I am doing. It's what's best for me, for Yusei, for everyone.

"I want to do it while I have a break from work. So, we have two days."

"Right, we'll do it the day after tomorrow-" Shinji is interrupted by a knock on the door. I move to get up, then I freeze. Who could it be? Please don't tell me it's Raiden. I can see the same dread in Shinji's eyes. I try to see if I can read the aura. Nothing. I mean that narrows it down, but at least it's not Raiden. I take a deep breath before I open the door.

"Oh great, you're still living here!" I stare awestruck at her face. She smiles wholeheartedly with her eyes closed. Then, our eyes meet, they're a brilliant crimson. A smirk breaks onto her face, leaning on the doorframe. "Damn, you've matured like a fine wine." She glances at me, looking me up and down. It makes me feel uncomfortable. But, words seem to fail me. All I can do is look back at Shinji. His face has this dumbfounded expression on it, I imagine his face mirrors mine. I look back to my new guest.

"So Anako," I try to string words together that remotely sound like a human language, "what?" I, of course, fail in doing so.

"Well, I'm back in town so I thought I'd drop into to see my favourite girl." She winks at me. Oh gods, I'm not in the mood for this. "Oh, I see you have company. Hi Shinji!" She waves in at Shinji, whom she can see from the doorway. His brain still can't comprehend that Anako is actually here, he waves slowly back. Then again, I'm starting to doubt that I'm actually awake right now. The fact she hasn't reacted to Kaoru probably means that I'm blocking her view of him.

"Would you like to come in?" I gesture over my shoulder. She quickly hustles inside. Even just standing at the door makes me shiver with the cold. I manage to get a peek at the look on her face when she sees Kaoru, she turns back around to me.

"Oh, is this your brother? You both have _some_ gene pool." Kaoru and I send _that_ look at each other.

"What are you doing here?" Anako and I both take a seat on the floor. She manages to sit equal distance between me and Kaoru, because of course she does.

"Well, I thought it was time I came back to the City. It's just been so long, y'know?" A year and a half, _sure._ "How's Raiden?" That question throw me off. Surely, her first port of call would have been Raiden. I mean they were together back then.

"Oh, you haven't seen him yet?" I try to play it off naturally.

"Oh, of course, I mean, he was kind of the reason I left in the first place. I mean, how awkward would that be? Oh hey, I know we broke it off suddenly when I left because I couldn't deal with your bull anymore, but how are you doing?" She looks around the group, gazing the reaction to her logic. Shinji and I exchange confused glances before looking at her and nodding. "Why, is there something going on now?" She looks at me like she's expecting that Raiden and I are in a relationship. Please, no. Why _now_? When everyone else that I haven't seen in years just _happens_ to show up.

"Oh no. It's just that he's been in a bit of a mood lately. So, you should probably leave it a few days, if you wanna go see him I mean." That should cover our tracks. There is a chance that Anako overhead our conversation. I don't want her ratting us out.

"Oh okay." She seems to take that easily. "Just one question, why is your brother here? I thought you two weren't talking." She purses her lips after asking the question, a habit of hers.

"Oh, we weren't. But, Kaoru's a psychic now, so I'm helping him control his powers."

"Aw, you're one of us now! Congratulations!" I'd hardly say congrats to someone who just discovered that they're a psychic. I mean, it's a pretty rough time. The fear of being rejected by your family. The worst thing they could say, _have you tried not being a psychic?_ Like you haven't already tried hundreds of times.

"Oh, thank you." His reaction is forced. I doubt that Anako is able to tell that, since this is only her first time meeting him.

"By the way, am I interrupting anything? You know, I just have this feeling and I wouldn't want to do that." She puts her hand onto her chest. I can tell that she's being genuine. Still, I can't shake the feeling that she overheard us and is just saying this to hide the fact that she heard us.

"No, you're not. We were just talking about helping Kaoru train to control his powers." I smile at Kaoru and Shinji, in the hopes that they'll play along. "Like today, I was trying to teach Kaoru how to meditate. That didn't go well at all."

"Would you know anything about that?" Kaoru asks Anako. Poor soul, no one has probably ever flirted with him in his life, and he doesn't know to deal with it.

_Hey, I heard that!_ Kaoru sends his thoughts barrelling at me. It takes all of me not to laugh. If I laughed now, I would have to explain the whole telepathy thing to Anako and she'd probably assume that we're laughing at her, and I don't need that.

But am I right?

_That's not the point._

I am right.

_Shut up._

"Well, actually I do! I was the one who told Yuuka to meditate in the first place. So, I could help you out if you want." Hm, I could get Anako to fill in me for the day that I go visit Yusei. As much as it would be easier to wait until after I leave Black Flag to go see him, I honestly don't want to wait that long to see him again.

"That would be great, thank you." It's amazing that just a passing thought about Yusei can fill my head with thoughts of him.

"Actually," she raises her hand to her face, "do you want to start tomorrow? Cause you're getting ready to graduate Duel Academy soon, aren't you? You'll need to be able to control your powers before final exams roll around."

"How did you figure that out?" Kaoru's eyes are wide.

"I remember Yuuka said something about you starting school late, so you and her were in the same year when she went to Duel Academy." My eyes widen at this. How did she remember that tiny detail?

"Yeah, you're right." Kaoru looks at me.

_We need to talk after this._ He sends his thoughts to me again.

What do you mean? Like who Anako is?

_Yeah._

I can explain that now, idiot. I met her after I moved to Dad's. She's the psychic who introduced me to Raiden, who she was dating at the time. She left suddenly a year and a half ago without explanation, and this is the first time I've seen her since then.

_Oh okay._ Kaoru becomes quiet after this.

Anako starts explaining what she's done in the last year and a half. Apparently, she moved up north and got a job working in the local convenience store. She starts telling some anecdotes, with some from Shinji interlaced, since he works in retail too. She was explaining this woman went crazy when she thought the price that came up on the till was wrong, when my phone rings. Shinji hands me my phone from its place on the counter. He's able to get a glance at the number that I don't recognise.

"Oh, it's getting late, we should get going." He sends a look at Anako and Kaoru, telling them to leave as well. Shinji ushers them out the door as they thank me for the food, taking his lunch box with him. I already know that Yusei is the one calling. I mean, why else would Shinji do that?

"Hello?" I answer. I'm currently putting on my 'phone voice', you know where you try to sound posher and more pleasant than you actually are.

"Hello, Yuuka?" I perk up a bit when I hear Yusei's voice.

"Oh Yusei, hi." I stand up to start cleaning up.

"Are you busy right now?"

"Nah, just cleaning up after dinner." I rest my phone against my face using my shoulder. I rinse the chopping board under the tap.

"Okay, good." He pauses for a split second. "I was wondering if you're free tomorrow?" For some reason, I celebrate inside my head at that.

"Yeah, I'm off work tomorrow."

"Do you want to come over then? I'll make sure Jack and Crow are home." I knew it was coming, but I'm still excited none the less.

"Yeah, that would great." A smile can't help but break out onto my face. I start cleaning the empty plates. "What time should I come over at?"

"Does lunchtime suit?"

"Yeah, that's good with me. I can even make lunch for you three, any requests?"

"Yuuka, you don't need to-"

"Yusei." I drag out the syllables. Whether he likes it or not, I'm making him lunch.

"Make whatever you want." I can hear the amusement in his voice.

"Anyway, where are you living now? You said it's near the shop."

"You know the Poppo Time clock shop? It's the apartment connected to it."

"No way! I literally walk past there on my way home from work. That's so weird, I can't believe we've never ran into each other before."

"Yeah, it is." For a second, there's a comfortable silence.

"Anyway, I'll let you go. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to your D-Wheel." He emits a small chuckle.

"Goodnight then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." Putting down my dish-washing brush, I hang up. As I finish washing up, I think about that conversation. I wonder has Yusei told Jack and Crow about me coming over. I doubt it considering he said that he'll 'make sure' that they're in. I suppose it would be nice to see their reactions. When I finish, I immediately lie down on my bed and cover my face with my hands. There's still butterflies in my stomach. It's not like me at all. Just hearing his voice can get that reaction from me. It's strange. Today almost felt _normal_. I hung out with my brother, had dinner with friends, talked to my crush. Well, I don't think you could call my feelings for Yusei a _crush_ , but okay. Sure, the reasons for those things happening were _unusual_ at best, but you get the point. I can only hope that the day I truly am normal is not too far off.


	21. Once Again

I wake with a start. I look around me and take in my surroundings. My mind is completely blank, though I can imagine what dream I had. I feel better not having actually seen the dream. Though, my heart is racing and that fear has latched itself onto me. I look back at pillow in search of my phone, when I spot a patch of dried blood on my pillow. My hands fly up to my face in search of a cut, only to find nothing. I sigh. My hand travels back to my hairline to scratch an itch. Then, I find it, a small cut just behind my ear. It's only a scab now. It's very small, I must have scratched it while I was asleep and broke skin. That dream really needs to stop. Since this is not the first time this has happened, sure I've never broken skin before, but still. I've woken up before completely covered in bright red scratch marks all down my arms and back. I check my phone for the time, ten in the morning. Quite late for me actually. Then again, I couldn't go asleep last night because of all the thoughts flying around my head. I keep playing out how I'm going to tell Raiden that I'm leaving Black Flag. Each of his reactions being less likely than the one before it. It's strange, in each scenario, it keeps coming back to Yusei. I know that Raiden has a pretty low opinion of Yusei, but I don't know if that's what is affecting me or something else. Though, I lean towards the latter.

Sighing, I get out of bed to make breakfast for myself. I fry some bread that has started to go stale. I grab an apple from the fruit bowl. I hoped those bananas would have been ripe enough this morning, but no. I start eating the apple as I'm frying the bread. I should probably stop by the market on my way to Yusei's to get something for our lunch. But the question is, what do I get? Knowing them, they've probably been eating nothing but cup ramen for months. As much as cup ramen was my childhood, I think I can only eat it once a week without the fear of being ill. Cheap cup ramen is nasty. I could get some pasta, that'll be quick and easy to make. It also should be cheap to buy, which is always a plus. Then, I'll just add what's on special into the pasta. I eat my breakfast, just enjoying the silence. I wonder is it good enough just to go over with the food, I mean, it should be right? Then, I remember we're all from the Satellite, so I throw the idea out the window. Man, just the idea of being in a room with only people from the Satellite is such a refreshing concept to me. So refreshing, in fact, that I actually have the energy to clean up after breakfast.

* * *

Shopping in hand, I start walking towards Poppo Time. I keep taking deep breaths to try and calm myself down. I was excited this morning, but now I'm just plain nervous. I imagine that I look suspicious to onlookers. Wait, with my mark, I should probably tone it down. I can spot the top of the clock tower from a bit away. I need to calm down. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Actually, it's best that I don't answer that question. Okay, I found their apartment door, I can do this. I take a deep breath and move my hand to knock. I move my hand back and sigh, fixing my hair and pulling down my dress so I look presentable. This time, I actually knock. My heart is pounding. I can do this. I jump slightly when the door opens sooner than I expected. Suddenly, I'm face-to-face with Crow. He's caught off guard, probably expecting someone else. It takes his mind a second to register who I am.

"Yuuka?" His eyes are wide. He scans my face in disbelief, his eyes rest on my marker. "Is that really you?" I force a smile and nod. I'm lost for words. I honestly expected Yusei to open the door, so I was prepared for that, but no. "Come on in."

"Hey Yusei, Jack, look who showed up!" Crow calls down as he walks down a slope into a garage. Didn't Yusei say it was an apartment? From behind Crow, I can see Yusei working on Jack's D-Wheel while Jack overlooks. They turn around towards me. Yusei smiles at me before turning back to the D-Wheel, finishing what he was doing. The butterflies are back in my stomach again. I manage to catch a glimpse at the genuine surprise on Jack's face before he steels up.

"Hm, I was wondering when you were going to show up." Strange, have other former Dark Signers appeared? I'm guessing so. I would have said that it was Kiryu, but something in Jack's aura is telling me that he's thinking about someone else. I think I was right when I said that the Signers have auras. I'm pretty sure that Crow is a Signer now too, since he has an aura now as well.

"Did you not tell them I was coming over?" I call down to Yusei.

"No, it was meant to be a surprise." He replies, without moving away from the D-Wheel. I give a light-hearted scoff, I should have expected that.

"Oh so _that's_ where you were the other night." Crow is about to follow up with something else before I cut him off. I think he was about to make a joke about that.

"Yep, that was me." Crow looks at me like he's just figured out something. I freeze ever so slightly. Has he figured me out? If he has, that's not good. "Oh yeah, I got something for our lunch." I hold up the plastic bag. "Where should I put it?"

"Oh, you can just put it on the counter." Crow gesture towards the stairs. I walk up the stairs that I assume lead to the kitchen, as Crow continues talking. My hand is slightly sore from carrying the bag. "Funny, we were just talking about lunch before you arrived."

"Oh, do you want me to make lunch now then?" I walk back down a couple of steps, popping my head back into the garage. I get a chorus of positive responses with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Nodding, I scurry back into the kitchen. To my surprise, Crow comes back into the kitchen as well. I get a good look at the room. Their living space is a kitchen area with a couch and a deck. I'm amazed how big it is.

"This room is bigger than my apartment." I mutter it under my breath but Crow still hears it and laughs. "Wait, all this and a _garage_ too? Okay, which one of you sold your soul for this place?"

"Pretty cool, huh? The landlady is an old friend of Martha's, so that was pretty handy."

"I can imagine-"

"Want any help with that?" He notices me glancing around the kitchen, trying to find what I need.

"If you want to help, sure." Crow glances at the pasta in the bag, and goes to take a pot from one of the drawers. "I assume you're the reason that Yusei and Jack haven't starved to death by now." A chuckle escapes me.

"Not exactly. They can make cup ramen, but I make everything else." Crow fills the pot with water before placing it on the stove. I look in the drawer that Crow took the pot out of, and I retrieve a frying pan and a chopping board. I start heating up the pan, and add a little butter.

"Geez, they still eat cup ramen?" I was right, they haven't changed at all.

"We eat it by the bucket load." I take the rest of the ingredients out of the bag. I managed to get some shrimps, leek and spinach on special. They'll go nice enough together I suppose. I start chopping up the leek.

"Ugh, have you seen the amount of chemicals they put into those things? That _can't_ be good for you." I shiver at that thought.

"They're cheap, and also quick and easy to make. Can't beat that, can you?"

"That's true but, you should just buy what's on special and save the leftovers. Works for me." Once I reckon the pan is hot enough, I throw the leek and shrimp into the pan.

"Does that actually work?" Once Crow adds the pasta to the pot, I add a pinch of salt. Crow turns to me. "Wait, why the salt?"

"It does, I mean I haven't starved to death yet. Salt adds flavour." I turn to Crow and shrug my shoulders. Then I notice it. "Wait a minute, stand up straight." I burst out laughing.

"What? What's wrong?" I continue laughing and my sides start to hurt.

"I'm finally taller than you!" I try stirring what's in the frying pan, which is hard when you're shaking with laughter. I notice that Yusei and Jack have come up to see what the fuss was all about.

"No, you're not. Look!" He moves his hand out from the top of his hair that passes straight over my head. This only makes me laugh more.

"You don't count your hair in your height, dumbass!" I try to stop laughing and turn back to the food. It doesn't, so I stand with my head in my hands, trying to stop shaking instead. "I've never been taller than you, so please let me have my moment." It's true. While I may have been roughly the same size as Crow when we first met, that didn't last long. I was a literal runt when I was a child, _I know_. I look over at Jack and Yusei who seem amused by the whole situation. Taking deep breaths, I've managed to stop laughing. "This shouldn't take much longer, so if you wanna sit down." I gesture to the couch, which is not far from where I'm standing.

Crow asks Yusei something about their D-Wheels so I obviously tune out for a while. They mention the WRGP tournament that got announced when they finished Daedalus Bridge. Construction is underway to create duel lanes around the bridge, making use of the space between the City and the Satellite. It's supposed to represent the newfound 'unity' between the two. A load of bull, if you ask me. If they think that a bridge and a tournament will solve all the problems of the last eighteen years, they've got another thing coming. While we're now officially integrated, the City people are still going to hate the people from the Satellite. They'll be less likely to hire us, pay us less, charge us more. This entire City is built on lies.

I sigh, focusing my attention back on the food. I try to listen to the conversation around me. Okay, no, that's too geeky a conversation for me. I lean over and test the pasta to see if it's done, thankfully it is. I ask Crow to drain the pasta as I turn off the heat under the pan. I move back to the chopping board to roughly cut up the spinach. Crow moves to get out plates and cutlery as I throw the pasta back into the pot along with the contents of the pan and the spinach. I churn it together until it's evenly mixed. Then, finally, I start serving up the food on the plates that Crow had left out. Behind me, Crow moves chairs from a desk facing the couch towards the coffee table between them for us. I hand the plates to the guys and leave my own on the coffee table, before putting everything else into the sink. As I move to sit down, the guys have already started eating. Man, this pasta tastes better than I expected it too. Though, I wouldn't tell them that.

"Hey, I hear you guys talking about the WRGP. Are you entering?" I glance around.

"We are." Yusei answers me. "Were you thinking of entering?"

"No. I mean I _could_ since I have my D-Wheel licence, but competitive dueling isn't my thing." What I mean by that is, I can't risk not being in control of my powers while me and the person I'm dueling are on machines going over two hundred kilometres an hour.

"Where on earth did you get a D-Wheel licence?" I'm surprised that Jack asks this. Then again, he's probably picked up on the fact that I got my licence before the Satellite became one with the City. Thus, it should have been impossible for me to get a licence because I'm marked.

"After I came to the City, I was forced into Duel Academy so I reckoned that I should make the best out of it." I'm trying to think if my licence is still in date, it _should_ be.

"Wait, isn't Duel Academy where all the rich kids go?" Crow's comment makes me wonder if Yusei has stayed in contact with Aki, given their duel I imagine so.

"Yeah basically. As for why I was there, it's a long story." I think explaining the whole 'having a biological family' thing now is more effort than it's worth. I mean I will have to explain it eventually, as Kaoru is bound to show up sometime. There is a pause as we focus on our food. I wonder if they took that to mean that I don't want to talk about it. In all honesty, I'd like to avoid talking about it whenever I can. Though, with these three being who they are, they will need to know.

"This food is really good, Yuuka." Yusei breaks the silence. I stare at him for a split second before smiling. Does he know the reason I'm not talking about my family is more emotional than I'm letting on? I mean, the last time I mentioned them, I _did_ start crying.

"Thank you. Though, I must admit Crow helped a lot." To which, Crow makes a response in way that can only be described as 'Crow'. The conversation moves naturally from there. We're just catching up on what's happened in the last couple of months. They tell me about how they were the ones who got Daedalus Bridge finished, and that Jack's savings from when he was King were poured into the project so it was finished as soon as possible. The conversation leans away from anything that happened immediately after the Fortune Cup. I wonder if Jack and Crow know that I remember what happened. I push that thought to the back of my head, those thoughts are for two in the morning when you can't go asleep, when any sort of guilt or embarrassment can't be shaken off. The conversation flows easily like it did back then. Almost like it hasn't been four years. We sit there talking long after the food is finished. It's strange, being here with them almost makes me forget what's happened since we last talked like this.

* * *

We're still talking by the time I start to get restless. It's not a want to get away from them by any means. I've always been like this. My legs ache to move, my lungs pain for fresh air. Something of a wanderlust really. In an effort to move, I take our plates from the coffee table and put them into the sink. My hand moves towards the tap in an effort to wash them, when Crow stops me.

"Oh no, Yuuka, you don't need to bother with that. I'll clean them later." I suppose Crow hasn't quite domesticated Yusei and Jack yet.

"Are you sure?" I push the issue, because I honestly have compulsions to clean sometimes.

"Yeah, it's fine." I sigh. I need to go for a run. "Right, I'm gonna head now then. I need to run some errands."

"Going so soon?" I scoff light-heartedly.

"Yeah, don't worry, you'll see me again." I wonder if they think I'll disappear for another four years. That won't happen. They're my friends, I'm not going to vanish on them again. At least, if I have a say in it.

After arriving back in my apartment with more food shopping, I thank whatever's up there that I'm getting paid the day after tomorrow because I don't think I could handle this much longer. As I put my bags down on the counter, my phone starts to ring. Raiden. I actually groan out loud, that's how much I _don't_ want to deal with this right now.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Where are you?" Ugh, a 'hello' would be nice.

"At home." I start packing the food from the bags into the presses.

"Well, you weren't there earlier when I knocked." The one day, I swear. "Where were you?"

"I was at Yusei's." If I wasn't leaving Black Flag, I would have lied and said Takumi's, but I no longer care what he thinks.

"Yusei? Why were you there?" He's trying to hold back the anger in his voice.

"We had lunch." I'm actually tempted to hang up the phone.

"What? Why were having lunch with him? Do you remember what he did to you?" I hold my breath. "I know you ran into him in the Satellite. That's why you're like this. How could you go back to him knowing that?" He pauses, I let out that breath I was holding.

"It's not like that." I can't tell him that both of us were wrong about Yusei. He'll say that I forgave him too easily. "We're friends." He scoffs.

"Yeah right. He probably thinks of you like some stray dog and is only putting up with you because he feels sorry for you."

"You're wrong."

"What?" I remember how Yusei looked at me the other night in the park. There was no pity. He cares about me, his eyes told me everything. Then, there was something else in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.

"You don't know him like I do. You're wrong." There's a pause. He's holding his tongue, that's what his silence means.

"I'm just saying." He pauses for a beat. I can tell that he's trying not to explode on the phone. "He'll end up breaking your heart again. I want you to be careful." I scoff. Yusei didn't break my heart in the Satellite. I broke my own.

"You weren't there. You don't know what happened." I sigh. It hurts that I can't tell anyone what happened. "Right, I'm going to go for a run. I'll be in the base tomorrow. We can talk then. Okay?"

"Okay." Once Raiden says that, I hang up the phone.

I turn around to look at the mirror. I chew my lip as I notice how my body has slimmed down since the Fortune Cup. The muscles on my arm have started to waste away, causing my three-quarter length sleeves to be ever so slightly loose. The meat of my thighs has started to trim down, which is a shame to be honest, I had really nice thighs. It makes me a little depressed. I need to start going to the gym again. I sigh and change into something I can properly run in. Trying to run in a short, tight dress and boots with a heel on them isn't a good idea. I pull all of my hair back into a ponytail and pin up everything else that doesn't fit in. Happy with how I look, I go out the door. It's starting to get dark outside and my breath forms a mist in the air. But I still run. I run until I can taste metal and my body is on fire. I can feel myself letting off steam. After all, the longer I stay with Raiden, the more that a sense of frustration builds up inside me.


	22. Burn

The air is cold as I walk towards the Black Flag base. My eyelids ache. All I want to do is sleep. Though, I fear I'll have that dream again. Even though I've taken steps towards getting better, that dream still clings to my mind. However, last night was different. I feel Yusei's pain as the attack pierced his torso. I checked my body after I woke up, but nothing. I expected some scratches or something, but no. I'm confused, that's the first time that it has happened. I feel like it's a sign of things to come.

Despite everything, thoughts of Raiden flood my mind. Not one thought in particular, just a swarm of every small thing. The first time we kissed, the first time we did _that_ , the first time I saw him cry. The way a fire seems to constantly burn in his eyes, the way his stare lingers on me. I remember Anako and Raiden were _on a break_. Raiden, understandably upset, decided he wanted to go clubbing, so he dragged me along. He didn't ask anyone else, I didn't pay attention to it then. I should have. For some reason, the club was more packed than usual. Our bodies were close enough and the music was so loud, that everything else but him seemed to fade away. That, or it was the vodka. Then, he kissed me. I didn't stop it, I didn't pull away. I just accepted it. I was kissing my friend's sort-of boyfriend, it should have felt wrong. The thing was, it didn't. The chemistry was there. A part of me realised what that something I could never quite place was in his eyes. Though, I didn't fully realise that until I had sobered up. There was something in the way his hands grabbed my waist and dared to go lower. Every square inch of my skin he touched burned red hot. No wonder that one moment lead to something more, and then led to where I am right now.

"Oi dumbass!" A shout from behind me breaks me out of my daze. I look over my shoulder and see Shinji and Kaoru a few paces behind me. "Geez, we've been calling you for ages." Kaoru scoffs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Who are you calling dumbass?" I raise my eyebrow at Kaoru. "Dumbass."

"Are you sure that you two aren't twins?" Shinji looks between Kaoru and I. "You're literally making the same face." We both look towards Shinji and then back at each other. We just shrug our shoulders at each other and start walking again. I can hear Shinji sighing behind us.

"How are we going to do this?" I can feel Shinji's eyes on the back of my head. We've entered the dockland area. Not the fancy port where I got the boat to the Satellite, but the rundown part filled with derelict warehouses. Of course that's the case though. This area is teeming with marked people. Even with unification, that number has only increased. I throw a glance over my shoulder. You can't be too careful around here these days. Between all the immigrants, marked people and Satellites around here, tensions are high.

"Well, outside of saying that I'm leaving, I got nothing."

"Great." I can literally feel the sarcasm dripping from Shinji's mouth.

"Has it ever been any different?" Kaoru chimes in with a cheeky look on his face.

"Good point." Shinji and Kaoru share a knowing look while I roll my eyes.

"You should be on my side, you know." I give Kaoru a pointed look.

"It's true and you know it." I scoff and quicken my pace.

Kaoru starts telling me about his training with Anako yesterday. Apparently he was able to meditate for a few minutes at a time. I'm honestly surprised how quick he was able to do it. Then again, I'm not the best teacher in the world while Anako is perfect for the job. He seems to be coming along great. Somehow, there's a pang of bitterness and I can't help but feel like I've gotten the short end of the stick.

"Anyway." Kaoru hesitates. "What exactly am I doing again? Cause I'm not the one leaving here."

"You'll wait outside the door. I'll tell you if you need to come in or get the hell out of there." I can feel both of them giving me cautious glances.

"Do you think there's a chance that we'll need to get out of there?" I think that Shinji has only now just considered that possibility. He's probably in denial, which is strange because he's known Raiden longer than anyone else.

"Of course." I look up at Shinji. "He's a psychic, we don't take bad news too well." We all stay silent until we reach the derelict warehouse that is the Black Flag base. Staring at the base, for quite probably the last time, is harrowing. "Are you two ready? Kaoru, you should stay a few paces behind us. I don't want you being seen by Raiden." They both nod. I can sense fear in Kaoru's aura. Admittedly, I'm petrified, but this is something I need to do.

The warehouse is empty and silent as a tomb. I knew that Black Flag only had a few members, but I didn't think it was this bad. The bottom floor is just one huge room. The floor and walls are made of completely bare concrete. The walls have plenty of cracks seeping into them. There's an abandoned table in the corner of the room. One of the legs is completely bent, but it still holds the table's weight. We head upstairs. We stand in the smaller of two rooms upstairs. The room is completely bare. I take a deep breath, then pout. I stare at the door leading to Raiden's room. Mentally, I tell Kaoru to wait beside the door to Raiden's room.

I take a deep breath, then Shinji and I approach the door and knock. Raiden tells us to come in. I let Shinji in first and I close the door behind me. Raiden sits at his deck, staring at his phone. He takes a long glance at us. Neither Shinji or I say anything. His gaze lingers on me, looking me up and down.

"I knew it." His stare doesn't move from me. His eyes have darkened.

"Knew what?" Shinji pipes up. Raiden's eyes still don't move. His stare unnerves me.

"You'd leave. Ever since the Fortune Cup, you've been acting different. It's that Yusei guy, isn't it? He's always gotten on my nerves. Is that why? Are you in love with him?" His expression is completely sour.

"Both of us are leaving. Yusei has nothing to do with it." I straighten my back. I almost completely backed up against the wall. Raiden goes quiet. The only sounds I can hear is our breathing.

"Shinji, can you stand outside for a minute?" Raiden's eyes don't move from me. Shinji mutters some form of a response and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Another silence. My hands have started to shake. The more Raiden looks at me, the worse I feel. He stands up and walks over to me. My back is now firmly pressed against the wall. Our eyes are locked as he keeps staring at me. Up close, I can see all of the colours in his eyes, they are this stunning shade of violet, but they're flecked with a deep blue. They draw me in time and time again. He rests his forearm against the wall, so he hovers over me. My neck is starting to strain from the height difference.

"Why are you leaving? Is it because of Yusei?" He speaks in a hushed tone, well aware that Shinji can probably hear us from the other side of the partition wall.

"I'm sick of this. I'm tired of always watching my back, carefully choosing my friends and not being able to get close to anyone." I close my eyes. "I want out." I take a deep breath. "What's with your obsession with Yusei anyway?" Raiden's aura is unreadable as usual. I try reading his face, his eyes, anything. Nothing. He has created a barrier between us.

"I know what you're thinking." I hold my breath. "You're thinking that if you leave you could run off into the sunset with him." Not exactly. Raiden holds my face with his other hand. "He wouldn't love you the way I do." I freeze. Wait what? Raiden kisses me full force on the lips. My body instantly reacts, pushing him away from me. I know what he wants. The same thing he always does. He'll use me and then just walk out on me. I stare at Raiden, confused. "I love you, Yuuka." I feel like the whole world freezes around me. This doesn't make sense. Raiden has never indicated that he liked me more than a friend. What we had was never romantic. He's never made any attempt to go further than that. He's obviously lying. I mean, he doesn't want me to leave Black Flag. So, he's trying to guilt me into staying here. It's going to work, not this time. I don't know what compels me, but I start laughing. It's sarcastic and half-hearted, maybe it's out of irony. Raiden's face begins to twist out of anger.

"Take your confession and shove it." I'm done, I'm just utterly done here. Raiden closes his eyes and exhales out his nose.

"Fine, you wanna leave so bad?" I've made a mistake, haven't I? "Then, duel me for it." He shoves his desk and chair up against the wall. He has taken duel disk out in the time it took to turn around. "You win, you leave. If I win, you stay, you can't leave." I'm staying where I am against the wall. I take a deep breath. I can do this. Just defeat Raiden, that's all I need to do. Simple. I am able to do this. I push myself off the wall, and walk so I'm facing him. I nod. "You're going to regret this." He says as he activates his duel disk, I do the same.

"Duel!" We chant at the same time.

"I'll go first." Raiden's voice is definite, leaving no room for discussion. "I summon Mezuki(ATK:1700) and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." I take a deep breath and look at my hand. Right, three monsters, Beckoning Light, Karma Cut and Divine Wrath. I can work with this. "I summon Fabled Ashenveil(ATK:1600) and attack Mezuki. Ashenveil's monster effect activates. I discard one card from my hand to increase Ashenveil's attack points by 600." I discard Beckoning Light(ATK:1600-2200). Mezuki is destroyed. I feel electricity pulsing through my hand. Raiden's life points drop to 3500. He stares at me, I can see hatred burning in his eyes. I freeze as a crack starts to form on the wall behind Raiden. No, this isn't possible, this can't be happening.

"Oh, that's how it is then?" No, I didn't mean to. "Fine, no more Mr. Nice Guy." I should be able to control my powers. I always have. My powers are always the one thing I can control in my life. I can't control anything else, Yusei, Raiden, Kaoru, none of them. But at least I can control my powers. Could.

"No! I didn't mean to-" Raiden's face tells me to stop. "I set two cards and end my turn." Why was I not able to control my powers? This shouldn't be happening. I stare at my hands. The image of Yusei's torso being pierced enters my mind. The singeing feeling of electricity only gets worse. It feels like someone lit a fire in my chest. My whole body throbs with my powers. It moves around me in a stream, like I could almost touch it with my fingertips. Everything starts to have an orange tint. Everything is burning. Some fear the fire, and some become the fire. I'm burning, my entire world is on fire, and Raiden is right at the centre of it.


	23. Destruction - ACT I END

"My turn." Raiden is impossible to read as always. Nothing but anger now. I'm scared, but I won't admit that to him. I just focus on quelling the fire inside me. My powers run rampant inside me. Flowing like a river. I feel the electricity in every single nerve. My skin tingles with its heat. "I summon Tristan, Knight of the Underworld(ATK:1800)." The appearance of the monster causes a small shockwave in the room. Raiden's aura is becoming overwhelming. My eyes ache just looking at him.

"I activate the Trap Card Karma Cut. By discarding a card from my hand, I can remove one of your face-up monsters from play. I choose Tristan, Knight of the Underworld." I discard the monster Fabled Oltro from my hand. Raiden scoffs.

"I set a card and end my turn." I would say that Raiden looks furious, but that would be an understatement. Mentally, I tell Kaoru to wait outside the building. This duel could end very badly.

"My turn. I draw." Dragged Down into the Grave, that'll work. "I activate the Spell Card Dragged Down in the Grave from my hand. We both take a look at each other's hands and choose one card to discard, then we each get to draw a card." Raiden shows me his hand. Three monsters. I know Spirit Reaper has an effect that'll prevent it from being destroyed in battle, so I choose to discard that one. I only have one card in my hand so Raiden has no choice. I draw another card, De-Synchro. I remember that Raiden's Synchro Monsters are really powerful so I'll need this. "Fabled Ashenveil attacks you directly." I try to restrain my powers. It doesn't work. Raiden's cries of pain make me flinch. His life points now stand at 1900. "I end my turn."

Raiden stands back up. There's a gash straight down his chest from where Ashenveil attacked him. Now, I know that I've made a mistake. I stare at my hands. Why can I suddenly not control my powers? Why is this happening?

"Why did you have to do this? What are you gaining from leaving?" Raiden shouts at me. I can feel tears burning in my eyes. The smell of blood is so thick in the air, I almost choke.

"Freedom." It's simple. I want to live my life without fear.

"Have you forgotten what we wanted to do? Have you forgotten what this City has done to you?"

"Of course not but now-"

"Now what?" He interrupts me. "This City is not going to change because of some bridge and you know that."

"It's not going to change now. But if we try our best, we can live like everyone else. Me, you, Shinji, Reika, everyone." Raiden scoffs.

"Three months ago, you would have been singing a very different tune. My turn." The last three months have changed me. For better or worse, I'm a changed person. Raiden's face only portrays his anger. I'm starting to fear for my life. "Mezuki's monster effect activates from the graveyard. I can remove it from play to Special Summon a Zombie-Type monster from my grave. I choose Spirit Reaper(DEF:200)." So much for my efforts to get rid of it. "I set a monster and a card. I end my turn." His anger is calm and dry, that's what scares me most.

"My turn. I draw." Raigeki Break, good card. I can use that to destroy Spirit Reaper. "Ashenveil attacks your set card." It's destroyed. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn. I set a monster and end my turn." I think I've backed him into a corner. I don't think winning shouldn't be too hard. Key word, _shouldn't_.

"My turn. I draw." The Fabled Ganashia. "Ashenveil attacks your set card. Ashenveil's monster effect activates. I discard one card to increase his attack points by 600(ATK:1600-2200)." The monster is destroyed. Wait, I should have discarded Ganashia for Raigeki Break, wow I'm stupid. "I end my turn."

"My turn." He draws and scowls at the card. "I end my turn." Ooh, must have been a bad draw.

"Right, my turn. I draw." Twin Twister. This card is too useful to discard for Raigeki Break. "I set one card and end my turn." I can't do anything else right now, since Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed in battle and since it's in defense position, I can't deal damage.

"Do you remember why do what we do?" Raiden calls out to me. He's probably trying to guilt me some more.

"So we can make the City a better place for everyone."

"Yeah! That bridge isn't going to make a difference. So we need to change the City ourselves and get revenge on the higher-ups for everything they've done to us."

"Wait revenge? Raiden, we can't do that. It's just going to create a cycle of hatred that I don't want any part of." I know you can't do that. I've done it and look what happened to me. I thought if I got revenge on Yusei, everything would get better. But no, I made things worse for everyone. If I just waited until I talked to Yusei before jumping to conclusions, none of that would have ever happened. I'm not- no, I _can't_ let that happen again.

"Oh what? Has that goody-two-shoes Yusei gotten to your head?" Before I can say anything, he continues. "My turn." He looks at his hand and frowns. A bad draw. "I end my turn." He glares at me as he waits for me to start my turn. My hands start to shake more violently. I try taking deep breaths to calm myself down but it doesn't work. He keeps staring me down like he wants nothing more than to see my innards spread on the walls.

"My turn. I draw." I just want this to be over now. Guarded Treasure. Great, it's almost useless to me because I need five cards in my hand to activate but this card is the only one in my hand right now. "I activate the Trap Card Raigeki Break. I discard one card from my hand to destroy one card on the field. I choose Spirit Reaper." I can see Raiden grit his teeth. "Now Fabled Ashenveil attacks you directly."

I try to make it so that Raiden isn't hurt in the attack. No such luck. In an effort to shield himself, he gets a gash on his right arm. The force of the attack slams him against the wall. The electricity hurts as it pulses through my body. My legs almost give out. Raiden lands on one knee. He stumbles in an attempt to stand up. His eyes are burning with their glow. Oh no. He's going to lose control of his powers. This isn't good. This is _really_ bad. I've only seen it happen once, and I never wanted to see it again, now I'm about to.

"Right, you wanted to play that way. Fine." I can almost feel the venom spewing from his lips. His eyes are glowing a harsh violet. I'm taken aback. The violet is achingly familiar. My right arm almost burns from the memory. "Let's just say you leave. Who will you run to? You'll never see Shinji again. He's only friends with you because you're both here. Yusei doesn't care about you. You know that. Your family won't accept because they think of you as a freak, a monster. You have nowhere to go. You're better off just going off and dying in a ditch! Besides, that's what this City wants! You're a witch and a Satellite, they don't care about you and they never will!"

"You're wrong." Surprise is all over Raiden's face. "There are people out there who care about me. They'd never want to see me die, not again." Yusei's face flashes into my mind. "They love me and accept me for who I am. That's all I can ask for." I take a deep breath. "I can't say the same for you. You never really cared for me! You just manipulated and used me! I'm through with you!" Raiden takes a second to compose himself.

"My turn." He completely ignores me. If anything, his eyes have only gotten more intense. "I summon the Immortal Ruler(ATK:1800). Then, I activate Call of the Haunted which allows me to Special Summon a monster from my grave. I choose Uni-Zombie(ATK:1300). Uni-Zombie's monster effect activates. I discard one card to increase a monster's level by 1, and I choose Immortal Ruler(LV:4-5). Level 3 Uni-Zombie tunes Level 5 Immortal Ruler." From here, it looks like Raiden's entire eyeball is glowing violet. "From the darkness comes the ultimate end. Arise from the depths of hell to lay waste to all! Synchro Summon! Appear, Dark End Dragon(ATK:2400)!" The appearance of said dragon nearly knocks me off my feet. This is bad for me. "Dark End Dragon's monster effect activates. I permanently lower Dark End's attack and defense points by 500 to send one monster you control to the grave(ATK:2400-1900)." Ashenveil is finally sent to the graveyard. "Now, Dark End Dragon attacks you directly! Dark Absolute!"

Dark End fires some sort of dark energy right at me. I try to shield myself with my arms. It isn't much good. The force of the attack sends me straight through the wall behind me. I can feel my consciousness wavering. Is this what's actually going to kill me? I see red, will I finally greet death like I'm supposed to? Ready to greet death on a pile of rubble, not exactly what I imagined. Though, a lot of blood was what I expected, my world ending in fire rather than ice. _No._ A voice inside me yells. That's right. I can't die here. I'm needed. People care about me. The wall wasn't solid concrete, but that doesn't stop the pain. I try to move but my back is aching and my hands slip on something wet. It hurts so much that I wonder if it's been properly hurt. I open my eyes to find a gash, just like Raiden's, going straight down my torso. I start hyperventilating in a panic. I'm losing a lot of blood. Within a few seconds, a lot of my front is drenched in blood. I try to stand up, and fail. Leaning on my arms, I look around. The cracks in the walls have become more pronounced. There's even some holes in the solid concrete wall behind Raiden. This building is going to fall. That thought goes through my head. I make another attempt at standing up, this time I manage to stumble onto my feet.

"Raiden! It's not safe. We have to get out now!" My voice is hoarse. I start coughing, holding my arm up to my mouth. I start panicking when I feel that my arm is now wet. Okay, I need to end this duel _now._ I'm coughing up blood, this is not good. I start walking backwards over the rubble. I'm holding my head in my hands. My head won't stop throbbing.

"No! We're not leaving until we finish this duel!" Raiden screams back at me. I need to end this duel this turn. I have De-Synchro, that'll get rid of Dark End Dragon. I just need to draw a monster with more than 300 attack points.

"My turn." Obedience Schooled, this is it. "I activate the Spell Card Obedience Schooled from my hand. When I have no monsters, this card allows me to Special Summon three Level 2-or-lower Beast-Type Effect monsters from my deck with different names. However, their effects are negated, and they are destroyed during my End Phase. Finally, I can only Special Summon Beast-Type monsters for the rest of the turn." It's hard to talk. My throat is dry and everything tastes metallic. "I Special Summon The Fabled Cait Sith(DEF:600), The Fabled Nozoochee(DEF:600) and The Fabled Cerburrel(DEF:400). Next, I activate De-Synchro. With this card, I can return one Synchro Monster on the field and return it to its owner's Extra Deck, and I choose Dark End Dragon." I start to limp further backwards. I can tell that Raiden's gritting his teeth. My head is filled with thoughts of Raiden. The first time we met, the first we fought, the first time we kissed, the first time he hurt me, the first time I stayed over at his. Every good memory is linked to two bad ones. "Now, Level 2 Cerburrel tunes Level 2 Nozoochee." My lungs are on fire. My powers almost feel tangible, it flows around me like a river. Synchro summoning now will protect me if things go bottom up. "Behold the thundering gallop which shakes the heavens. Show your face and prophesize the end of all! Synchro Summon! Appear now, The Fabled Kudabbi(ATK:2200)!" My inability to contain my powers has started to tire me. It's becoming hard to stay conscious, I suppose the blood loss doesn't help either. "The Fabled Kudabbi attacks you directly! Charge Attack!" I turn back and try to run. The building has started to crumble. Raiden's life points have dropped to 0. I've won. I try to focus on moving as fast as I can. My limp slows me down. I can't rely on walls. My eyes start to give out. I have to rely on memory. I nearly fall down the stairs a few times trying to get down. I curse as pain shoots up my leg with every step. I start coughing up more blood. My head feels woozy. I've lost a lot of blood. My thoughts have been reduced to glimpses of Raiden. Every bad memory flashes through my head. _I say forget about him and just stay here._ The words he said before I left for the Satellite ring in my head. The stairs crumble as I finish walking down them, judging by the sound. I don't feel Raiden's aura, so I assume he climbed out the window. My legs give out on me as I pass the doorway. I smack my head off the ground. Everything goes red as I lose consciousness.

ACT I CHANGE END


	24. Rebirth - ACT II START

ACT II CONSEQUENCE

I'm not sure if I'm spinning or falling, maybe even both. There's the sensation of my eyes being closed, but everything is blood red. My body is tingling and vaguely sore. I must be dreaming this. I got hurled through a concrete wall, I should be hurting more than this. I try opening my eyes. Nothing but a bright white light. This can't be a dream, everything seems too real. I realise that I'm actually sitting down. On what? I'm not sure, a solid glowing floor maybe? I blink. There's a figure sitting opposite me. The light coming from behind them is so bright that it obscures their face almost completely.

"Hello." There's something familiar about that voice. It sounds so sweet and feminine, that I'm surprised that I can't place it immediately.

"Where are we?"

"Can't say for sure, somewhere in your subconscious maybe." The figure sits there completely still, waiting for me to say something. Her shoulders don't move; she must not be breathing then. If it's my subconscious, then I could just be imagining her and I'm too lazy to make her breathe.

"Alright, then _why_ are we here?"

"Isn't it obvious? What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I won against Raiden and the building collapsed." Wait. "Am I dead again?"

"Not quite, you barely escaped with your life. Your body is in a coma right now." That makes sense. This is too vivid to be a normal dream. "Do you know why you're in a coma?"

"I lost a lot of blood?" The figure sighs.

"Silly child, you've put yourself through a lot of trauma is the last couple of months." Child? "Your body has started to give up."

"Put myself through trauma? What are you talking about?" My voice rises by itself. I can feel fire in the pit of my stomach. She's cornered me and she knows it.

"Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" I freeze. How did I not realise it? How did I not recognise my own mother's voice? Then, it occurs to me. Bright lights and seeing dead people, she must be telling the truth. People talk about seeing a bright light before they die, this must be mine.

"I'm sorry." I stare down at my hands. She hums, I can vaguely make out a smile on her face.

"I need you to think of a reason for your trauma. I told you that your body gave up because of that. If you don't address it, you won't be able to leave here. Your body won't recover." She stops talking and I don't start. As hard as it is, I start going through everything that's happened since the start of the Fortune Cup.

"I don't know. I made some wrong assumptions, and it ended badly. I don't think that's what you mean though."

"No, it's not. You know the reason. You've said it yourself before."

"What? I'm a coward?" I shrug my shoulders.

"No, it took a great deal of courage to stand up to that boy." She must mean Raiden. I suppose it did. "I need you to think. Why did you stand up to him in the first place?"

"Well, he kept manipulating me." I exhale through my nose. "Looking back, he used my emotions against me. He said things that would make me feel a certain way and get me to do what he wanted. He ignored me until I accepted my leader position. Acknowledging my insecurities about Yusei."

"Yusei, huh?" Suddenly, I get the sensation of being kissed on my forehead. My mother looks like she's deep in thought. I can't make out the specifics of her face. I look at her, eyebrows raised. She waves her hand, telling me to forget about it. "Did anyone else ever do that?" I'm about to ask what she means by that. Then, it hits me.

"Of course." My eyes are wide. "How did I not see it? That's exactly what Kiryu did. He lied to me so that I'd hate Yusei too. And I _believed_ him. Everything makes sense now. I let myself get manipulated time and time again. I let myself get ruled by these emotions. That's my problem! That's why all this happened." My shoulders feel lighter. Perhaps it's a sense of clarity.

"You feel guilty about this, yes?" Her body language seems to indicate a sense of righteousness.

"Of course I do. It was all my fault. Why? Should I not feel guilty?" The mere prospect of that accusation disgusts me. My actions were wrong, therefore, I should feel guilty.

"I never said whether or not you should feel guilty. That's entirely up to you. The real question is what you should do with your guilt. What do you do when you're guilty?"

"I don't know. I've never felt guilt like this before."

"You feel sorry for yourself." She's right. "You let your life go by because the guilt is stopping you. No wonder your body has started to give up." My mother is a savage apparently. "I take my guilt and turn it into something better." Something better? Interesting. "When I was in college, I accidently spilt my coffee all over this poor girl. I felt so bad, I ended up taking her shopping and paid for it myself. Funnily enough, she eventually married my best friend." She laughs. She moves her hand to her mouth, almost like she's forgotten what she was going to say next. I pay no mind to it. It feels so natural like this. This is how it was supposed to be. A mother giving her daughter some advice.

For a second, I see myself in my mother. The dark brown colour of her hair melts into my own sandy blonde. The ends of her straight hair started to curl and lengthen, ending at her waist. I blink and she returns to normal.

"Something better?" What could I do? No, what _can_ I do?

"I think you're ready to go back. Do you think you're ready?" I sigh.

"This is my first time seeing you in twelve years. Do you want this to be over so soon?"

"That is true." I can tell that there's a sad smile on her face. "But I told you, I'm always there. Just look for the stars and you'll find me."

"I know." My mother's smile grows bigger. The light from behind her grows brighter. I have to close my eyes to stop myself from being blinded. I open my eyes again when the light is back to normal, only to find that my mother has vanished. I look all around me in an effort to find her. Nothing. I'm completely alone. My heart sinks a little.

The floor underneath me suddenly gives away and I'm falling again. I close my eyes out of fear. I open them again and everything's blood red. I'm spinning and falling head first again. I look beneath me. What looks like a giant screw moves towards me, turning ever so slowly. The more I look at it, the more I become confused. Maybe it's the one moving and I'm frozen in place. My brain is torn between two scenarios as the screw moves ever closer. I close my eyes to prepare for a collision. But nothing happens. I try opening my eyes again. There's no screw, or blood red horizon. Just a white ceiling. I can hear the beeping of machines around me. My mouth is covered by an oxygen mask. I can feel something in my arm, an IV I reckon. I move, trying to get a good look around the room. I take the oxygen mask off. I breathe in the hospital air. It's disgusting but I roll with it.

"Yuuka, put that mask back on! You don't know if you still need that." I sigh.

"Kaoru, judging by the fact that I'm talking right now, I can safely say that I don't need it." He puts down the newspaper that he was reading, rolling his eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay." He sighs. That got deep real fast.

"What?"

"Do you not remember? You nearly died." Although his face seems pretty stoic, his eyes tell a different story. "We found you in the rubble." His eyes move like he's reliving the memory.

"Wait, where's Raiden? What happened? Where is he?" Memories from the duel flash through my head. I remember that I couldn't control my powers, something that hasn't happened in a long time. I push the heel of my hands into the bed in an attempt to get up. Kaoru holds my shoulders, keeping me in place. It's then that I get a splitting headache. I try not to move my head too much, in order to dull the pain.

"We didn't find Raiden, but Shinji says that he's alive." He exhales. "Don't move around too much. You lost a lot of blood." I sigh, moving pillows so I can sit up straight.

"How long have I been out?"

"A week."

"A week?" I almost lose my breath. "That's so long." On my nightstand, I spot quite a large bouquet of morning glories.

"I don't know who the flowers are from. They kind of just appear a couple of days ago. Originally, I though Yusei had gotten them but it's not him. No one I've met so far has left them." Kaoru scratches his cheekbone.

"They're definitely not from Yusei, that's for sure." I spot a little card buried in the flowers near the wall. I assume you couldn't see it from the chair beside my bed. Whoever left them must have known that. "Morning glories are unusual to give like this, that's for sure."

"Oh that's what they're called? Though, what other flowers are blue like that?" I cover my mouth with my hand. Something is telling me that Takumi and Kenta left them. In the language of flowers, morning glories represent promises. I _did_ promise to help them. Maybe they're reminding me of that. I'll check the card once Kaoru is gone. I'm broken out of my daze by Kaoru standing up. "I'll go tell the doctors that you're up."

Once the door closes behind Kaoru, I slowly take the card out of the flowers. _Revolution_. That word is written on what appears to be a blank business card. The writing is big and cursive, one would think that the writing belongs to a girl. Now, I'm certain that Kenta got these flowers. I'm surprised that he knows the language of flowers. Then again, it could just be a coincidence. I doubt it though, Kenta seems smart enough to know such a thing. I hide the card back in the flowers. While sitting alone in the room, I ponder about how much I hate hospitals. I think it's because I was so sick as a child. While there were no real hospitals in the Satellite, I saw Dr. Schmidt enough as a child to make me cringe at any sort of medical happenings.

Kaoru quickly comes in accompanied by a female doctor, which calms me down somewhat. Apparently, visiting times are nearly over but the doctor, who introduced herself as Dr. Grey, allows Kaoru to stay until she finishes her tests. She does the standard tests. Checking my pulse, my blood pressure, the dilation of my pupils. I can tell she's uncomfortable by the way she purses her lip. I wonder if it's the mark, probably. It could be my increased healing factor, a tell-tale mark that I'm a psychic. Given the fact that she mentioned how surprised she was that I healed so quickly, probably means both. Eventually, she tells me that I can be discharged. Kaoru looks at me, not expecting me to be released so quick. Before leaving, the doctor asks Kaoru to come with her so he can fill out some forms.

"Oh yeah, Emiko got you clothes. They're in the second drawer. You should change into them now." Kaoru calls back to me before closing the door behind him. I open the drawer. Oh yeah, my old clothes would have been cut up when I arrived. Shame, I liked that dress. I take the pink and white striped top, a chopped charcoal jacket and blue jeans. Wait, they're just jeggings. I note the elastic waistband, Emiko must have picked these for that reason. Taking off the hospital gown makes me suddenly aware of all the bandages on my body. Most of my torso and back are covered in bandages, as well as some of my arms. My forehead is also covered in bandages. I'm halfway to becoming a mummy now. My legs seem to be free of bandages, however, they're plagued with little cuts and bruises instead. Moving to put my underwear and jeggings on is probably the hardest task. Apparently when I fainted, I twisted my ankle too. Having your legs covered in bruises doesn't help either. I take the shoe box out the drawer. Judging by the box, I reckon they must have cost a fortune. Inside are some short brown laced-up boots. I'm surprised to find that they actually fit my feet, given the fact that my feet are larger than usual for a girl my height. Zipping up the jacket, I sit on the bed, waiting for Kaoru to come back. Emiko really did a good job in getting me clothes. I'm surprised how well everything fits. I'm curious whether or not she measured me. A knock on the door breaks me out of my thoughts.

"Yuuka, are you decent?" I'm shocked at my dad's voice coming through the door.

"I am." He opens the door. He leans against the door frame, decked up in a suit as usual, though he's missing a tie.

"You doing okay?" He sighs. Suddenly, I can see the age in his face. In the last few months, the lines in his face have become more pronounced.

"Suppose so."

"Are you ready to go? Kaoru and Yusei are down in the lobby."

"Yusei?"

"Nice kid." His fingers move in such a way that I can tell that he's itching for a smoke. "He cares a lot about you, you know."

"Really?" I'm kind of glad that my dad approves of Yusei. I know the reason why that makes me happy, which bums me out.

"Yeah, he's been up here every day according to Kaoru." That thought alone gives me butterflies. "Right, let's go. They're waiting." He moves over towards me in an effort to help me up. I try to stand. I stumble a bit at first, my dad grabs my arm so that I don't fall. Eventually, I'm able to stand without falling over. A week of being in a coma will do that to you. I hold onto my dad's arm as I walk, with him holding the flowers in the other hand. Strange how the hospital hasn't given me crutches. Then again, they couldn't have tested for a sprain while I was in a coma. I'm grateful that my room wasn't too far from the elevator. The lift takes us straight to the lobby. I hobble over to where Yusei and Kaoru are, without the help of my dad. I don't want to worry them more than I already have.

"You doing okay?" Kaoru, still filling in the form, asks. He doesn't even turn around to face me.

"As good as I can be at the moment." My eyes catch Yusei's. We both smile at the same time. I try to suppress a giggle. Yusei looks like he's about to say something, but he stops himself.

"Right, you need somewhere to stay." Kaoru speaks up again. "You live on your own, you can't handle that at the minute with your injuries." He looks up at my dad, who's typing something on his phone.

"I have to catch a flight at half five tomorrow morning. And with Nancy's shifts being how they are, there's no one to take care of you, honey. I'm sorry."

"Yuuka, you can stay with us." I'm surprised by Yusei's offer.

"Are you sure?" I don't want to have to rely on Yusei too much, but it's the only option I have at the minute.

"Of course, it's the least we can do." A part of me is being blown away by how genuine that was.

"Are you okay with that?" My dad asks, though I can tell that he's asking it out of a sense of obligation rather than anything else.

"Yeah." My head starts to get blurry from standing up too long. I notice that Kaoru's finished filling out the forms, meaning that I'm free to go.

"Right then, I'll call you a cab." I move to speak but my dad cuts me off. "Don't worry about it, I'll put it on my card." After saying that, he strides out of the lobby. We follow him, though I'm having trouble keeping up with his long legs because of my limp. Yusei notices this, he turns to me, about to ask if I need help. I put my hand up to him, not in the mood to be coddled. He seems to accept this, though I can feel his gaze lingering on me.

My dad stands at the edge of the path, trying to call a cab. Kaoru and Yusei are discussing some logistics, probably. Meanwhile, I lean against a railing, trying not to faint.

"Right, we'll see you at Poppo Time." Kaoru says, before Yusei drives off on his D-Wheel. Kaoru walks over to me. I keep the flowers against me, with the card just in front of my chest so no one notices it. I notice a cab on the other side of the road, I suspect that it's the one my dad ordered. My dad looks at his phone, before walking over to us.

"Don't worry about the fare, it'll get charged directly to my card. He already knows where you're going. Right, I have to go pack for tomorrow. I'll talk to you when I get back." My dad kisses the top of my head. He moves to walk away. Before he does, he ruffles Kaoru's hair. The taxi does a u-turn on the road and stops on the road before us. Kaoru holds my arm as I wobble over to the cab. He helps me into the cab, taking the flowers, and gets into the cab on the other side. The driver doesn't talk to us, which I'm glad for. For the first few minutes, we're both quiet. It's hard to hear Kaoru's thoughts. I wonder if this has something to do with me not being able to control my powers during my duel with Raiden. Kaoru's phone buzzes. The light of the phone lights up the dark cab.

"I told Shinji about what's happening. He'll be over tomorrow. Apparently, there's a lot to talk about." I sigh. It's about Raiden. Shinji hasn't told Kaoru the truth about what happened, considering he just said that Raiden's alive. There's more to the story than that, we're talking about _Raiden_ of all people.

"Alright. You should probably be there too." I have a sinking feeling that what Shinji tells me is going to affect my future plans. That my decision isn't as final as I thought it was.

"Okay, I'll be over anyway." I'm staring out the window as we drive. The sky is completely black and devoid of stars. I think back to that dream. Actually, I'm sure if that encounter was real or not. It could very well be real, considering I nearly died. "By the way, since when is dad your emergency contact?"

"Since I moved in with him."

"Have you been in contact with him? I mean, you live on your own now, so."

"Yeah, we have lunch sometimes." I have a feeling that he's hurt by that. I mean, I probably have a better relationship with our dad than he does, and he's known him far longer. The cab becomes silent again. It's strange. I'm finding it impossible to read Kaoru. Not his thoughts, his aura, anything. I wonder if it's a side effect of my injuries.

We don't talk for the rest of the cab ride. Once we arrive in the courtyard outside Poppo Time, we're able to leave the taxi without the hassle of scraping money together. I don't look at the fare as we leave, I'd probably feel guilty if I saw it. Kaoru only opens his mouth to ask me what door we're going in. I don't say anything back, and lead him to the garage door. I can spot that the garage lights are on, but I knock anyway.

"You don't need to knock you know." Yusei lets us in. I'm glad to get out of the cold.

"What can I say? Martha raised us well." I chuckle lightly at my attempt of a joke. Yusei merely nods and agrees with me. I settle down on the couch at the bottom of the stairs. I'm surprised at how comfy it is, especially since it looks quite old.

"Right, if you're alright here, then I'll leave. I'll be back over tomorrow with Shinji." Kaoru quickly leaves, jogging back out. I sigh once the door closes behind him. Something is wrong with him, but I can't tell what. Crow and Jack come down into the garage. I get the generic comments and questions that come from these types of injuries. As much as I would like to be involved in some type of actual conversation, I'm too tired to concentrate on anything. I think they pick up on this and direct the conversation elsewhere. I'm starting to doze off by the time that I get brought back into the conversation. Only then, I notice that Crow and Jack are no longer in the room.

"Yuuka, you can stay in my room if you want." Yusei looks up at me from behind his D-Wheel.

"Oh no, don't worry I can sleep on the couch."

"You're just out of the hospital, you need to rest." And now it starts.

"I'm okay here, I can rest just fine on this couch." Yusei opens his mouth to reject but I keep talking. "Besides I'd have to climb that ladder. I don't have the energy to do that right now, and with my ankle as it is right now, I couldn't climb it anyway." Yusei closes his mouth again, resigning. He goes back to working on his D-Wheel for a while, before getting up and going upstairs. He doesn't seem like he's finished for the night, but I pay no mind to it. He returns down a few minutes later with a pillow and blanket for me.

"Here you go." I stand up to take them from him. I thank him with a smile. I notice that his brow is ever so slightly furrowed. I put the blanket and pillow down on the couch. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a hug.

"You worry too much." With our current height difference, which is very little, I'm able to rest my chin on his shoulder. Before, he would have been able to rest his chin on my head. It's amazing how that can change. To my relief, he wraps his arms around me as well.

"I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried there." I pull back to let him see me raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sturdy now remember. It'll take more than that to take me out." He pulls back from the hug. I'm a little disappointed from the lack of warmth. I know I was close to dying, he knows that as well. I'm just saying it to make him feel better. I think he's caught onto that idea when he smiles at me.

"Goodnight Yuuka." There's still a small smile on his face as he says this.

"You're not finished what you're doing." I point towards the D-Wheel. "Don't worry about me, you can keep working."

"Are you sure?" I can tell that Yusei is somewhat relieved by the offer.

"Yeah, go on. It won't bother me." I take off my jacket, throwing it over the back of the couch. I take off my shoes, and press the heels against the side of the couch. I move the pillow and blanket so that I can get a better view of what Yusei is doing. I don't know why but the sight of someone working on a D-Wheel has always relaxed me. While I have no interest in the mechanics of it, I find it so calming to watch. I don't know if it was all the days I spent in Reika's garage, watching her fixing up every D-Wheel that was brought in. Or maybe, it reminds me of the Satellite, watching Yusei tinker with anything he could get his hands on. Probably a combination of both. "Goodnight." He repeats it back to me, and it's not long before the sounds lull me to sleep.


	25. All I Wanted

I'm awake early. The light streaming in from the windows hits my closed eyes. It takes me a few seconds to comprehend where I am. It's a bit disorientating at first honestly. I sit up on the couch in attempt to gather my thoughts. At least, I imagine that it's early judging by the fact that the house is completely silent. I'm tired of dreams. I know that Yusei wants to forgive me for what I done. My subconscious still hasn't got the message. I fold up the blanket and place it at the end of the couch with the pillow. I stand up, careful of my ankle, and hobble up the stairs to the kitchen. I try scanning upstairs to see if anyone is awake yet, I get nothing. Once I get up the stairs, I need to sit down. I slump in the seat to see if it helps. Pain starts shooting up and down my back, so I straighten back up. I try pushing my fingertips against my temples in an attempt to ease the spinning feeling. My head snaps up at the sound of someone walking towards the kitchen. I look over towards the ladder to see Yusei climbing down, sans his jacket and gloves. He moves groggily like he's just woken up. He pauses for a split second when we make eye contact, almost like he expected to be the first one up. Then again, even back in the day, he was always the first one up.

"Mornin'." I greet him casually as if I'm not in pain.

"Oh morning." I can almost see the thoughts going through his head. "Are you up long?"

"Nah, I literally just got up." Yusei moves towards the kitchenette. For a split second, I feel sick to the stomach at the thought of Yusei cooking. Never again.

"Do you sleep alright on the couch?" His head turns back towards me. "Do you want some coffee?" Oh thank the stars, he's not cooking. I don't feel like getting food poisoning again.

"I did actually, that couch is really comfy." I'm not lying. My back would still be sore even if I slept on the world's comfiest bed. "Oh please yes, I take it black." I can feel my shoulders relax as I realise that Yusei _isn't_ going to cook. He seems to be surprised that I take my coffee black. I swear, people act like this is the most surprising fact about me. It's not.

"Oh, that's good." We're silent as the kettle boils. I can't help but wonder what Yusei is thinking. He's infinitely harder to read now than he was back then. Is he thinking about me, his D-Wheel or how he's become addicted to coffee in order to become somewhat alive in the morning? I wonder will Jack and Crow get up now that the kettle is on? I doubt it. I notice that Yusei adds milk to his coffee. Yeah, that sounds about right. Yusei hands me my coffee and sits down beside me on the couch. Sweet sweet caffeine, oh how I have missed you. The coffee isn't too different from my own brand which comforts me somewhat.

"Has Shinji said anything to you lately?" I spot his Signer mark on his right arm, it looks different than how I remember it.

"No, why?" There's a look of concern in his eyes.

"Last night, Kaoru told me that Shinji _needs to talk_. Sounds pretty serious to me." I look up from my coffee cup at Yusei. "I mean, Shinji has the spare key to my apartment and he could be dropping stuff over. I doubt it though." I can see Yusei's eyes dart slightly as he tries to remember if Shinji said something odd.

"It probably has something to do with Black Flag." If Yusei and I are thinking the same thing, we're probably right. "That's why you were dueling that Raiden guy, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." I stare at my coffee. "How much do you know?"

"Not much." I almost sigh in relief. Who knows what Shinji or Kaoru could have told him. "You were in Black Flag. You wanted to leave, so you dueled Raiden. Then, the building collapsed." He pauses like he's about to continue, but he doesn't.

"Ah, I'll suppose we'll have to wait to find out." I try think of something that will drive the conversation away from my accident. He's still on edge about it, why? I don't know. "Did you stay up late last night?"

"Not too late." I give him the look, I know that's bull and he knows it.

"Depends on what you call late, doesn't it?" I raise my eyebrows at him as a laugh escapes my mouth.

"I suppose it does." He's so cute when he smiles. Whoa, I am not going down _that_ road right now. I ask him about what he was working on last night. He tells me about how the three of them need better engines in order to keep up with the competition. He's still trying to work how to best go about that. There's a genuine light in his eyes when he talks about D-Wheels. I would to keep asking questions just to see that, even if I have no idea what he's talking about.

My train of thought is broken by footsteps upstairs. Judging by the sound, it's Crow. I almost feel offended that Crow is about to ruin the lovely little moment that Yusei and I are having. I'm not sure why. We're sitting on a couch, talking and drinking coffee. I've done this with other people. I think I'm deeper in this whole 'feelings for Yusei' thing than I anticipated. It's not long before Crow comes downstairs. There's some light morning chatter, nothing out of the ordinary. Now, it's just a matter of Jack getting up. It's strange, something about this just feels so _right._ It's been years since I've last experienced this. Maybe, everything is going to change for the better. It's a small hope, but it's a plausible one. Crow mentions that he finally has a day off. I wonder how Ms. Kimura will react to all of this. I wouldn't be surprised if she fired me. I did hurt _her precious son_ after all. To my surprise, it isn't long before Jack comes down. Though I suppose, there's probably more noise with me being here. I'm puzzled at how Jack refuses to drink instant coffee. I mean, yeah, it's not as nice as the pricey stuff, but caffeine is still caffeine.

"Right, you've got some explaining to do." All of their gazes turn to me, I gulp. What they want me to explain could be anything. Why I disappeared, what really happened in the Satellite, or the truth about Black Flag.

"What do you mean?" Hopefully Crow knows not to push too much into a _certain_ matter.

"You got arrested, didn't you? How did you end up in the City? How do you have a dad? And a brother?" I can handle these questions, this is good.

"Well, the Facility didn't take girls so Security kept me around for a while. One of the officers noticed the resemblance to my dad, and called him. Turns out the woman who I thought was my mother just adopted me, and that my biological parents have been in the City this whole time."

"How were you allowed stay in the City? It was illegal for anyone from the Satellite to be in the City." Jack crosses his arms.

"Same as you, Godwin covered it up. Even now, my file says that I was born and raised in Neo Domino."

"Godwin?" It looks like something clicks in Jack's head, I pay no mind to it.

"Though, it's likely that a large sum of money may have swayed him."

"Makes sense." I think Yusei has come the conclusion as Jack, whatever that is.

To my surprise, they don't ask any more questions. Though, I suspect that they'll be back for more. We return to the light morning banter. Eventually, Jack leaves to go to the cafe across the courtyard. Crow, annoyed by the fact that Jack is spending more money than necessary, goes on a drive. Yusei returns to his D-Wheel, big surprise there. I end up sitting on the couch in the garage again. There's some light conversation between us, but we generally enjoy the comfortable silence. I try reaching out to Kaoru in my mind, in the hopes of something to do. I get nothing. Strangely, not long after this, there's a knock at the door. Proclaiming that I've got it, I hobble as quickly as I can to the door.

"Huh, I was right, you did hurt your ankle." That's true. My right heel not touching the ground is a sign of this.

"Hello to you too, Shinji." I give him my best poker face.

"You know what I meant." I usher them in. Kaoru and Shinji greet Yusei, who greets them back. "You look better than I expected."

"Really?" I let them go up the stairs first. "There's more places to sit upstairs." Kaoru moves up the stairs first. Shinji pauses before he goes up.

"Actually, Yusei." I feel like there's suddenly a load of iron in my stomach. It's bad news. "You might want to hear this." I stay by the bottom of the stairs with my hand over my mouth until Yusei starts to walk up. Before he does, he puts his hand on my shoulder. I nod, it's all I can do. I limp up the stairs behind Yusei.

"I can't believe they discharged you in that state." Kaoru stares at my ankle as I limp towards the couch.

"They figured out she's a psychic. Between that and her mark, they wanted her out as soon as possible." Shinji holds out his arm in an effort to help me to the couch. I don't take it.

"Wait, how did they figure that out?" Kaoru moves the chairs over from the deck for himself and Shinji. Yusei takes his seat beside me. We've essentially gone full circle this morning.

"Her healing factor. By the time they got her into the hospital, it had already started to kick in. Notice how they only asked for family blood donations, they figured it out."

"They can't do that. Just because she's a marked psychic, they shouldn't kick her out at the first opportunity." Kaoru's really naive to think that this City is any different.

"That's how this City is." I try to keep my face blank. "Get used to it. Besides, you saw how that doctor looked at me." I can't bear the thought of people discriminating against my brother. He doesn't deserve it, he's a good kid. He quietens down, I think he knows to say nothing more. "Right, what's wrong?" I look to Shinji. My hands are shaking. I try pushing them together to try stop them.

"It's about Raiden." Of course it is. "They didn't find him in the rubble. I dropped by the shop the next day. Ma-Mrs. Kimura," he corrects himself, "said that Raiden came in covered in blood, saying that you had lost control of your powers. He left Neo Domino to _go traveling_ a couple of days ago. Apparently, he'd been planning it for a while."

"Wait, doesn't that mean?"

"Yes." Shinji's face is grave. I was right.

"What? What does that mean?" Kaoru's eyes darts between Shinji and I.

"I'm fucked." I can feel everyone's eyes on me as I hold my head in my hands.

"What are you talking about?" Kaoru's tone becomes increasingly more worried.

"Let's just say, the leader of a gang suddenly vanishes. What would happen to their right-hand man?"

"That would make you the leader." Yusei hits the nail right on the head.

"No, you can't!" Kaoru raises his voice. I move my hands so they only cover the bottom half of my face. "You're in no state to do this. I mean, look at you. You can barely walk. How are you supposed to run a gang?"

"There's more to this, isn't there?" I sigh. I stare at Shinji, keeping my hands covering my mouth. I'm trying to seem as neutral as possible.

"There is." I knew it. Shinji's sombre face couldn't have been because of that. "Since Raiden was missing and you were out, the City went into utter chaos. Every gang started fighting for our territory. There's been lots of attacks over the last week. Some gangs got completely wiped out. Anako and I managed to save some territory. What do you want to do?" I sit there for a few seconds, taking everything in. Everyone is waiting for me to say something. I don't know what to say. Wait, I have a plan.

"I told you. I'm leaving and so are you. I'll wait a couple of days and hand it over to that Yuudai kid, considering that he's still around that is." I lie.

"Yuudai? Is that the scrawny kid? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he's the only other person I know in the gang. He'll know what to do."

"Alright." Shinji looks at me like he's nearly caught onto what I'm saying. Not quite yet. "Right, there's another thing."

"I don't think I can take anymore." I sigh.

"No. I just think that you can't be alone when you go outside. People could be out to get you. There are people who would attack you while you're weak in order to claim our territory. If you go outside, I need you to be with someone you trust."

"Fair enough." It shouldn't take too long for my body to recover.

"Oh wait." Kaoru's face lights up like he's just remembered something. "Here." He hands me a small box with a plastic bow stuck on it. "Your phone broke in the rubble, so we got you a new phone. And here's your deck too. Your duel disk broke too."

"Ah, it was only a spare." A strange feeling fills me, I'm not sure what to make of it.

"I used some of your paycheck to pay for it, though Kaoru insisted on chipping in to get you a better phone."

"It's for all the birthdays and Christmases I missed." He scratches the back of his head. "Your birthday wasn't that long ago right?"

"Thank you." I smile while a warm feeling surges up through me. That small gesture makes everything seem less bleak. "Wait, paycheck? Did you get it off the old hag?"

"Yeah, about that." I can that Shinji is apprehensive about that subject.

"I'm fired, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah." Shinji says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and it is. "But that's not all." Oh no. "I was going into your apartment to get you some clothes with Emiko for when you came out of hospital. Emiko didn't think anything that was there was suitable for you now, which is true to be honest. I ran into your landlord. I explain what had happened. You being in hospital, losing your job."

"Oh no, please don't tell me."

"Since the phone mostly came out of your paycheck, you didn't have enough for rent." Shinji's face twists like he doesn't want to be the one to break the news.

"Kicked me out?" I put him out of his misery.

"Yep. He wants you out by the end of the week." Then, the panic sets in. Where am I going to stay? I can't stay here forever. With no job, I can't move into anywhere by myself. I can feel my breathing starting to quicken.

"Don't worry." Yusei puts his hand on my shoulder. "You can stay here as long as you need to."

"Really?" He nods, which settles my nerves a bit.

"Wait, he kicked you out the one day that you didn't have rent?" Kaoru looks at me like he doesn't understand. I'm honestly wondering if he's that stupid.

"Marker."

"Oh." I wonder if he'll ever completely understand. This City is none of the things it claims to be.

"Wait a minute, you said the phone came out of the pay check. Didn't the clothes as well? They're pretty pricey judging by the labels."

"Nah, Emiko paid for those herself. She said something about taking responsibility for your fashion or something."

"Emiko?" I'm honestly surprised. Sure, my wardrobe wasn't really full of clothes that I could wear. Some gym outfits, party outfits and a few casual dresses. She didn't have to do that. I need to thank her for that. "Any other bad news?" I honestly asking for everything I get at this stage.

"No, not yet at least." He looks relieved. He hates being the bearer of bad news, he normally leaves that to me. "Right, I've to be in work in a while, so I'll leave you here." He stands up, sending a look at Kaoru which makes him begrudgingly get up too. I move to escort them out, but Shinji waves his hand and they see themselves out. Once I hear the door close, I let out a long sigh.

"Are you doing okay?" I can feel Yusei's hand on my back. I lift my head from my hands.

"Aside from being homeless and unemployed, I'm doing just fine." I can't help the words coming out of my mouth.

"Don't worry, you can stay here until you get back on your feet." I look at him. I'm so lucky to have Yusei. To think I was going to run away from him. "Jack and Crow won't mind." I thank him while smiling.

I pick up my deck. I can feel an energy pulsating from my deck. I turn over the top card. Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. My wildcard, so to speak. The energy coming from the card is familiar. I felt it that one day in the card shop. I stared at it in the display case. It called out to me. Why am I feeling this now? I close my eyes and focus on the card. It's a soothing kind of cold, almost welcoming me back. I sigh, resting my deck back on the coffee table.

Hanging my head forward, I frown again with all of the thoughts racing in my head. Still, I can't help but wonder if I did the right thing in confronting Raiden. The City's gone into chaos, I nearly died, I'm unemployed and homeless. All I wanted to do was leave.


	26. We Make Our Mistakes

Once Kaoru and Shinji are gone, Yusei and I move back down into the garage. We return to the comfortable silence that was there before. My mind is reeling over what Shinji told me. How did everything manage to go spectacularly wrong? Instead of leaving Black Flag, I'm now its leader and barely escaped with my life in the process. To top it all off, I'm now homeless and unemployed as well. I can't help but wonder if I was right in trying to leave. I tap my fingertips in a rhythm against my thigh. I'm trying to convince myself that I was right. That Raiden's behaviour and my feelings were enough to justify it.

"Yusei?"

"Yeah?" He looks up from his D-Wheel at me.

"D-Do you think I was right to leave Black Flag?" I honestly don't know what I want Yusei to say, but I just need to know what he thinks. I see something flash through his eyes. His tools make a slight clang as he lays them on the ground. He walks over and takes a seat beside me on the couch. That move just took the intensity of this conversation from zero to ten. I was honestly not ready for that, and I'm a little bit scared now.

"Why did you leave Black Flag?" There's a look in his eyes that tells me that there's more to this than plain empathy.

"Because of Raiden really. I just got tired of the mind games and him manipulating me. I had to leave. Gangs here are different from the Satellite. Everything's vicious. I always needed to watch my back. I just needed to get away from it all."

"I can see why you left." His brow furrows like he just remembered something he'd rather forget.

"What's wrong? I know there's something you're not telling me." I wonder what his aura would tell me if I could read it. He sighs. There's a weight to his sigh.

"I never told you what really happened to Team Satisfaction." I nod. I know where this conversation is going to lead, but I let him continue.

"You told me that Kiryu attacked Security by himself and got arrested."

"Yeah." He pauses. "How much do you remember from back then?" There it is.

"Everything." There's a look of shock in his eyes, it's slight but I can see that it's there. "Except what happened after our duel." The look fades. I must have said something weird, why else would he have that look in his eyes?

"Well, after you got arrested, we managed to unify the Satellite. Then, Kiryu changed." He exhales before continuing. "To him, it wasn't just about making the best out of our lives in the Satellite anymore. He was almost power-hungry." The word 'power-hungry' brings back memories. What Kiryu told me about Yusei wasn't true. What he told me, it really applied to himself. Was Kiryu really that delusional? Or did he have the same doubts that I did? I stay silent though, letting him continue. "Crow and Jack left Team Satisfaction. For them, enough was enough. But I stayed. I thought that if I stayed, maybe Kiryu would stop and everything would go back to normal. I couldn't turn my back on him after everything that had happened." I'm starting to see why Yusei decided to tell me this _now_ of all times. "Eventually Kiryu set his sights on Security. I knew then that I had to leave. I thought that if I left Kiryu wouldn't have the courage to fight Security by himself." There's a sense of helplessness in his words. I wonder if this is the first time he's told anyone this.

"You were wrong, weren't you?" I bit my lip. I just want to wrap my arms around him and tell him that everything's going to be okay, that he couldn't have predicted what would have happened. He nods.

"Kiryu ended up attacking Security. Jack, Crow and I looked everywhere for him, trying to get him to snap out of it. When I found him," he pauses like an image that haunts him came back into his mind, "he was standing over the body of a Security officer." I freeze. Kiryu killed him? Suddenly, I get the sensation of Kiryu's aura. I remember how dark and chaotic it was. There's no doubt in my mind that Kiryu could have done that. Yusei pauses again, relaying all of this must be hard on him. "I swear all of Security was out looking for him. I tried giving myself up in Kiryu's place. I told Security that I was the leader of Team Satisfaction, that they should arrest me and leave the rest of the team alone." I can't believe that Yusei was actually going to give himself up for Kiryu. What I did I do to deserve having such a selfless person in my life? "It was too late though. Security had already found him. They didn't want to take me now that they had Kiryu. I watched as they dragged him away. This officer puts his hand on my shoulder. Kiryu saw this and-"

"He thought that you had sold him out." He looks at me like he didn't expect me to finish that sentence. "Kiryu told me that you had sold him out. I suppose that makes sense now." He nods.

"I thought that I had made the right choice in leaving. But still, I couldn't help but think that if I stayed, I could have stopped all of that from happening."

"You were right. I mean, how could you have known what would have happened?" It's unfair that a person as great as Yusei feels bad because of something out of his control. It's not right and I don't like it. "It's not your fault that Kiryu became a Dark Signer." I reach out and grab his hands on impulse. I think that's the first time I've reached out, normally it's the other way around. "It's not your fault that I became a Dark Signer." My throat and eyes have started to burn. "None of these things are your fault, Yusei. You need to stop blaming yourself." Then, something clicks. I hold eye contact for a beat, then let go of Yusei's hands. "Oh, I get it now."

I thought I was doing the right thing in leaving Black Flag, I suppose that's what really matters. My mother's featureless face flashes in my mind. _Take my guilt and turn it into something better._ Yes, I'm going to do that. Instead of ruining this City, I'm going to turn it into something better. A City without gangs, a better City. Revolution. That's what this City needs. The system needs to be destroyed before it can become something better. A cycle of destruction and rebirth. Once I'm better, I'm going to work with Takumi and Kenta to turn this City into the utopia it claims to be. It's going to be a long road but it'll be worth it.

"Thanks Yusei." I smile. It's a smile that makes my cheeks burn with its warmth. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. "I mean it." He moves to respond, but the door opens before he can speak.

"Hey Yusei! Let's duel! I found a new combo!" Yusei and I turn around to look at the door. The boy I recognise as Ruka's twin runs in, followed by Ruka herself. To my surprise, Izayoi follows soon after. He stops when he sees Yusei and I looking up at him. "Wait, you're-" My mind flashes back to my duel with Yusei. The twins were there, I remember now.

"Yeah, we've met before, haven't we? At Saiga's place, right?" Yusei asked me if remembered what happened. This means that there's probably some Dark Signer who forgot what happened. I'll play along like this, for now.

"Oh yeah." He's almost hesitant in saying this. I think he believes that I don't remember what happened, which is what I want. I want to avoid that conversation topic at all cost.

"You wanted to duel, Rua?" Rua, huh? What's with parents and giving twins similar names? I can tell by Rua's face that he looks up to Yusei a lot, he looks so excited just at the prospect of dueling Yusei. The three of them walk down the ramp into the garage. Izayoi's gaze holds my own. She recognises me, the slight raising of her eyebrows tells me this. Izayoi takes the seat vacated by Yusei beside me on the couch, with Ruka sitting to Izayoi's left. A silence permeates for a few seconds. Both of them definitely know that I was a Dark Signer, _great_.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Izayoi?" I break the somewhat awkward silence between us in the hopes of a less awkward conversation.

"Yeah, it's been two years right?" Izayoi holds herself differently now. It's strange, it's almost like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She moves easier, more fluid and graceful. "And call me Aki." She smiles. Aki doesn't seem like the same person at all. Any hint at some internal angst seems non-existent.

"That sounds about right." We've met each other since I left Duel Academy, but since we were both wearing our masks, she didn't recognise me.

"Yusei told us that you were in hospital. Are you doing okay?" Aki asks. I wonder how much she has been told about happened, not much I imagine.

"Yeah, as well as I could be, I suppose." I smile.

"Oh that's good." Her eyes dart like she has questions burning in the back of her mind. My inability to read auras now is quite a nuisance, it would have been handy in this particular situation. "If you don't mind me asking," oh here we go, "why did you leave Duel Academy? You suddenly disappeared out of nowhere."

"Well, I'm a psychic so you can imagine why I dropped out." Aki seems taken aback by this. I suppose that wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"Oh, you're a psychic too?" Ruka pipes up beside me. She seems less timid than before.

"Yeah, you can see spirits right?" Both of them quickly glance at each other, as if they're wondering how I knew that fact. "I can sense auras, I'm able to see that sort of thing."

"Oh," Aki moves her hand up to her mouth, "I've heard that sort of thing was possible. I've never met anyone with that ability."

"Really? It's not that uncommon, I know plenty of other psychics who can do that." I want to say that I'm surprised she hasn't met someone with that ability in the Arcadia Movement. But given the fact the Arcadia Movement suddenly disappeared during what happened with the Dark Signers, asking now might be rubbing salt into the wound. She mightn't be ready to talk about it. I'll hold my tongue for now, though I'll have that curiosity in the back of my mind. Long ago, Divine tried to get me to join the Arcadia Movement, but Raiden had already snatched me up. I suppose that has always made me keep an eye on the Arcadia Movement.

"You think so?" She falters. "How many psychics do you know exactly?" I reckon Divine isolated her at the Arcadia Movement, she probably wouldn't even recognise most of the former members of the Arcadia Movement. I know because I was the same. Outside of Raiden, Shinji, Reika and Anako, I can't name anyone else from what used to be Black Flag. Whenever I went to the old base, I was whisked by Raiden into his office as soon as possible.

"A good few. You'd be surprised how easily we find each other." A psychic can see the tell-tale traits of another psychic. Heck, I'd say most of the people I know well in this City are psychics. "I can introduce you to some if you want." I imagine that Aki has had limited interaction with other psychics, it might be good for her to interact with us. Since we could probably relate to her best out of everyone else after all.

"Yes, that would be great." I can't tell if she's being polite or if it's genuine. Sure, she'll probably see Kaoru around here eventually. We'll see how that goes. I turn my attention back to the duel between Yusei and Rua. At first, it doesn't seem like either one has a clear advantage. This surprises me, given the fact that Yusei is dueling, and it doesn't look like he's going easy on him either. I'm interested to see what Rua's new combo is going to be. We stay in relative silence as the duel progresses. Rua's combo isn't bad so to say, it just needs work. This kid has potential, that's easy to see. To no one's surprise, Yusei eventually ends up winning the duel. Seriously, I bet that Jack couldn't even beat him with how good Yusei's gotten, even though Jack won most of their matchups when we were younger.

After the duel, it returns to chatter. I zone out of the conversation almost entirely, only nodding or giving some noise of agreeance when Yusei's gaze settled on me. I can't feel but feel out of place here. While the twins and Aki seem lovely and don't seem to resent my presence here, I don't feel overly accepted either. I excuse myself from the garage and retreat upstairs. Sitting on the couch, I pick up the box containing my new phone that I left on the coffee table. I notice that on the underside of the box, a business card is tucked under the ribbon. It's blank except a list of names and numbers. I recognise the writing as Shinji's, as it's big and blocky. I take the phone out of the box and go through the usual movements of setting up the phone. I scan the card and look at the numbers. Shinji has managed to get the numbers of everyone that I talk to, it's incredible. Between himself and Reika, Kaoru and Emiko, and even my dad. I notice that Takumi and Kenta's number are hastily scribbled down at the bottom, like they were added later. I assume he left Yusei's, Jack's and Crow's numbers out since I'm staying with them for the time being. Once the phone is set up, I hastily send Takumi a text.

_Thank you for the flowers – Yuuka._

I stare at the morning glories, sat on the table against the opposite wall. No one could have sent those flowers but Takumi and Kenta. If my knowledge of flower language serves me right, they expect me to fulfil that 'willful promise' that I made to them. Unify the City, wipe this City clean of gangs. An action of destruction and rebirth if you will. Now is the right time to do this. I'll wipe my slate clean and walk away from everything for good. Sounds of footsteps on the stairs results in Yusei coming into view.

"Do you want another coffee?" He asks as he fills the kettle again.

"Yeah, please." Once he turns the kettle on, he takes a seat beside me on the couch. I avoid his gaze. I suppose he wants to know why I just kinda left the garage out of nowhere. The reason why will be hard to explain to him.

"Are you doing okay?" Here we go. I know that he cares, but sometimes he's just so predictable.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I flick my wrist so that my phone points towards him. His brows furrow slightly. He knows that I'm lying. There's that look in his eyes, he's pushing me to tell the truth without him saying a word. I sigh. "It's just that," my face twists as I try to word my feelings, "I don't feel very... welcome, that's all." With the kettle on, I doubt they'd be able to hear us from the garage.

"What? You'll always be here and you know that." He looks like he can't believe that I feel like this. As much as Yusei has gone through, there's still this innocence inside him. Or maybe it's just optimism.

"I don't think your friends are too keen on me." I shrug my shoulders. "They know that I was a Dark Signer, right? I mean the twins were there, and judging by Aki's face, someone told her."

"They do know, but that doesn't matter." I rest my chin on my hands as Yusei tries to convince me that I'm being delusional. "They're going to love you, I'm certain of it." He knocks his shoulder against mine in a playful manner in order to get me to smile, it works.

"Oh what? Do you want me to go on some life-changing adventure with them to get them to like me?" I raise an eyebrow and something resembling a chuckle escapes my mouth.

"I mean that would work-" I knock my shoulder against his as I laugh. "What? It would."

"Probably, but I don't exactly have the resources for such a thing." I tilt my head to the side with a wonky smile. It's at this stage that the kettle stops boiling.

"Right, come back down, it'll be good for you." Yusei pours two cups of coffee, one for me, one for himself. My phone vibrates as Takumi's name flashes on the screen.

"I'll be down in a minute." I take the cup that Yusei hands me. "Certain people need to be updated on how I am."

"Alright." He heads back down into the garage as I unlock my phone.

_I'm glad you liked them, Kenta picked them out._ My guess was right, Kenta seems like he'd know the language of flowers. It's barely a few seconds before the phone vibrates again. _We need to meet up, soon._ I scoff offhandedly to myself as I type my reply.

_Yeah, name the time and place. I'll need to bring my brother though, you'll see why._ I take a sip of my coffee as I wait for his reply. Nothing beats a pure black coffee.

_Okay sure, just make sure that he doesn't spill the beans._ Kaoru wouldn't spill the beans. He's going to be a key part of this. After all, despite how I am now, we can hear each other's thoughts. If that isn't a useful tool, then I don't know what is.

I rest my phone back on the coffee table, next to my mug. A weird feeling fills me as I stare at my phone. A sense of waiting. Then I realise what I'm waiting for. Raiden. The realisation that Raiden will never call me again starts to sink in. Regret sits in the pit of my stomach, it startles me. Do I really regret cutting Raiden out of my life? He had a grip on my heart like no one else. I gave that up for freedom, was that really worth it though? Letting the last few years of my life be a complete waste, for what? Normality. That's what I want. That's what I'm going to get. I left so I could break down the gang system until there is nothing left. Destruction and rebirth. Build the City from the ground up again. Make sure there's no violence, no petty wars over nothing. Then, maybe I can be normal. No gangs, no dreams about fated wars. Just perfectly normal and ordinary.


	27. Just Follow Me

"So wait, why are we meeting with them again?" Kaoru sighs. He thinks I'm dragging him along because Shinji doesn't want me outside alone in my condition.

"Important business." I try and hurry despite my limp. I just want to sit down already.

"Okay, but who are they?"

"Takumi and Kenta, they're friends of mine." Kaoru asks far too many questions for my liking.

"Oh okay." He shuts up for a while. I imagine he's internalising all of his thoughts. His brow is furrowed ever so slightly. He probably suspects that something is up, heck I would. The park is even more deserted than it was nearly two weeks ago when I was here with Kaoru. There's a bite in the air. I should probably have gotten a scarf, but that's neither here nor there. It's the middle of December, what did I expect? Unfortunately, the way we walked to the park means we practically have to walk to the other side of the park to reach the gazebo where we're meeting Takumi and Kenta. They have their backs to us as we approach the gazebo. Kenta turns around to us before we even step foot on the steps.

"Oh dear gods, there's two of them." Kenta looks like he wants to crawl into a corner as he glances between Kaoru and I.

"What do you m-" Takumi starts to turn around. He freezes for a split second, with his gaze resting on us, before turning to Kenta. "I mean they look alike but-"

"No, it's not that." Kenta lifts his hand to cover the bottom half of his face. I hobble up the stairs to lean on one of the pillars in the gazebo. "Their auras, they're practically the same."

"What does that mean?" Kaoru looks at me in search of an answer.

"I don't know." Kenta answers for me. He stares at me like he's reading my aura. For a split second, I swear I see his eyes widen. He's realised something about me but what? It could be any number of things.

"Could that be why we can hear each other's thoughts?" Kaoru asks this question straight to Kenta, ignoring me completely. I think he's caught onto that fact that I have no idea what's happening to either me or him. Kenta manages to keep his face completely neutral.

"Could be. Unusual, considering most other telepaths can't hear your sister's thoughts at all."

"Telepaths?" Takumi's eyes narrow, he keeps his gaze firmly set on me. I can see the wheels in his head turning. He turns his back to us, looking out over the lake next to the gazebo. Kenta, Kaoru and I stay in place near the entrance of the gazebo. "Besides the point, what's the story? You disappeared for like three months." Takumi still hasn't turned back towards us. Kenta's brow furrows as he stares at Takumi's back.

"It's a long story." I sigh. Too long and too complicated.

"You always say that." Takumi finally turns around. He leans on the railings and crosses his arms.

"Believe me, _I mean it._ " I can see from the corner of my eye that Kaoru is staring at me. Is he trying to talk to me? Does he think that I'm ignoring him?

"You better spill." Kenta's face hardens. "What did you think you were doing? Leaving Black Flag? Look at what you've done!" There's an edge to his voice that stings. "Everything's a mess and it's all your fault."

"What would you rather have me do?" Yesterday, I would have cowered away and admitted that he was right. "I couldn't have known that was going to happen. What? Not leave and be stuck in that hell forever?"

"Yes." I think Kenta's trying to drill a hole into my head with his glares. "What do you think about all of this?" He nods in Kaoru's general direction.

"I mean, I think she was right in what she did." At least Kaoru is on my side here. "But," not anymore, "I think she could have gone about it in a better way." I'm pretty sure that he's referring to me laughing when Raiden told me that he loved me, supposedly.

"There's no doubt that she could have gone about it in a better way." Kenta nods. He turns back to me. "You should have known better. You know what's Raiden like." I sigh.

"I didn't come out here for a lecture." I straighten up. I look down on Kenta who's a fair bit shorter than me.

"Calm down Kenta." Takumi finally chips in. "You know why she did it. Some things went wrong, this changes nothing. It's not going to stop our plan."

"What plan?" Kaoru rapidly looks between Takumi and I, in search of answers.

"What? You haven't told him yet?" Takumi raises an eyebrow.

"No, I can't have him blabbering on about how this is a bad idea to _certain_ people." I feel like if Yusei ever found out about this, I'd be in for the lecture of a lifetime.

"What's going on, Yuuka?" There's a hint of fear in Kaoru's eyes. I don't know why he's getting so worked up about this.

"You know how I left Black Flag?"

"Yeah, you said that you're done with gangs."

"Well, I'm not."

"What?" Kaoru raises his voice. I look away from him and stare at the ripples in the lake. "You can't! I mean," he's in such disbelief that he starts tripping over his words, "you're not strong enough. You can barely walk without being in a heap-" Kaoru moves to keep talking but I interrupt him.

"I'm not doing anything now, dumbass. I know that." I turn my head back to Kaoru. "Nothing's going to happen until I leave Poppo Time." I glance at Takumi out of the corner of my eye, he seems oddly amused by all of this. I can't tell what Kenta's feeling without his aura, he just looks vaguely annoyed like usual.

"What's going to happen then?" The fear still lingers in his eyes.

"Well, it's simple." Takumi chimes in. "We're going to rid the City of gangs." It takes a couple of seconds for that to register in Kaoru's head.

"Wait what?" Kaoru slowly turns back to me.

"Exactly what he said." I gesture in the general direction of Takumi.

"No, not that. Why am _I_ here?" I start playing with my fingers. Interlocking them, pulling them apart. Repeating this over and over again.

"Well, you're going to help us." I close my eyes.

"No! Nope, not doing it. No way." I give him a pleading look.

"Please, just _listen_." I don't want to make a big fuss over this. He sighs, I take this as a sign to continue. "As you know, we can hear other's thoughts. If you don't join us, it's going to be hard for both of us. I can't keep an eye on you. People might use you to get at me, I don't want that to happen." Kaoru stays quiet for a few seconds. The soft trickle of the drizzle that hits the roof of the gazebo is all that we can hear.

"Fine." Kaoru holds the bridge of his nose and exhales. "I'm only doing this so I can protect you. The minute you get hurt, we're leaving."

"Okay." I lie.

"Is that why you haven't been answering me? Just so you can hide your _little secret_?" His eyes twitch ever so slightly. He's clearly annoyed with me, heck, I'd be annoyed with me.

"No." Kenta pipes up; he's staring at me again. "There's something wrong with her. Her aura, it's different. You can't hear his thoughts, am I right?"

"That's right." I cover the bottom half of my face and stare at the ground. "Nothing works; I can't sense auras either."

"How is that possible?" Takumi looks wide-eyed at me.

"I don't know, ever since that duel-" I want to continue but I can't find the words.

"Wait, didn't you say that you didn't have control of your powers during that duel?" Kaoru moves closer towards me.

"What?" Surprise is etched into Kenta's face, a rarity. His eyes dart all over the place, as he tries to reason it out.

"Yes. During the duel, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't control my powers."

"Do you know why?" Kaoru's face softens.

"I reckon it's to do with her emotions." Kenta is staring intently at my face, like he's working on a puzzle. "A lot has happened to you since I've last seen you, this could be the result of that."

"Probably." I blurt out, for the sake of giving a response. "Enough about me. What has happened since Raiden disappeared? Shinji's only told me so much."

"Right." Takumi pushes off the railings and stands up straight. "The fighting has calmed down a good bit now. There's only seven gangs left in the City, that includes us," Takumi vaguely gestures in Kenta's direction, "and Black Flag."

"I assume the other six got taken over." I slide my back down the pillar and sit on the floor of the gazebo.

"Right. Aside from us, only the Phantom Riders, Cross Syndicate, Red Serpents, The Jackals and Cardinal Dragons are left."

"Wait, you keep talking about _us_ , are you in a different gang?" Kaoru seems to blurt out suddenly like he didn't filter his thoughts well enough. Kenta and Takumi stare at him like they're puzzled by this. I suppose they're still not used to Kaoru's endless questions. Takumi nods slowly, before continuing.

"We're called the Onyx Slicers by the way." Takumi says it nonchalantly, as if he's saying it out of obligation. He starts pacing back and forth as he explains. "After Raiden disappeared, all the gangs made attempts at getting more territory. Black Flag is now technically the smallest gang in the City. We managed to take down two gangs, which is good. It'll make our job a lot easier." Takumi looks back towards Kaoru and I, as if he expects questions. Neither of us speak.

"Our best bet is taking out The Jackals first." Kenta leans on the pillar opposite mine. "They're the smallest next to Black Flag. They're also the only gang that didn't take over another gang in the last week or so. Probably means that they're the weakest right now, and that they should be our first target."

"Sounds fair." Kaoru brings his hand up to his mouth. "We should wait until after the New Year. That'll mean Yuuka has more time to recover, and we can enjoy the holiday season too." Kenta looks surprised. His eyes narrow slightly. I wonder if he sees the benefits of Kaoru joining us now.

"You're nothing like your sister, you know that?"

* * *

It's the middle of the afternoon by the time I get back to Poppo Time. Kaoru walks me to the door and doesn't leave my side until the door is open.

"Okay, you can go now." I sigh.

"Try sending out your thoughts. We'll need it if our plan is going to work." I quickly gesture to him to shut up. The door is open and Yusei is probably still in the garage. I manage to get Kaoru to walk away. Only to be interrupted by someone else before I get in the door.

"Uh hi! Does Jack Atlas live here?" A rather nervous looking girl asks while pushing up her bottle cap glasses.

"That depends. Who are you exactly?" I'm trying to figure out if this girl is another rabid fangirl or someone that Jack actually knows.

"Oh!" She looks surprised, almost as if she forgot to introduce herself. "My name is Carly Nagisa. I'm friends with Jack. A couple of months ago, I suddenly woke up in the Satellite. I had no idea why, but I knew it had to do with Jack." Oh no. "I keep trying to find him, but he keeps running away from me. I want to know why he keeps doing that and why I have these strange dreams." I'm speechless. She was definitely a Dark Signer. Carly is the reason why Jack expected me to show up.

"I should introduce myself too. I'm Jack's friend Yuuka from the Satellite." I make a vague attempt at a wave. Carly throws out a friendly 'nice to meet you', which I mirror. "I'll go check if he's inside." I pop my head into the garage. Jack's D-Wheel is missing, I sigh. Yusei's head pops up from behind his D-Wheel again with a confused expression. "Is Jack gone?"

"Yeah, he left a while ago." I sigh again before returning to Carly.

"He's not actually in at the moment. Do you want me to take your number so I can give it to him?" Jack Atlas is a dead man when I get to him.

"Oh really? That would be great!" She seems so happy when I hand her my phone for her to put her number in. How could Jack run away from a girl as sweet as this? Could she be in love with him? The thought strikes me suddenly. It would really explain why she looks like a stray puppy looking for him. "Thank you so much, I'll see you later!" As soon as she hands me back my phone, she runs off, which leaves me more confused than anything. I shrug my shoulders and walk, finally, into the garage.

"What was that all about?" Yusei asks as I'm walking down the ramp.

"A friend of Jack's looking for him. Apparently he's been ignoring her for months."

"What's the name?" Crow calls down from the top of the stairs.

"Carly. Do you know her?" My eyes follow Crow as he walks down the stairs.

"Name's familiar." Crow crosses his arms.

"I think she was a Dark Signer. She doesn't seem to remember anything though." I can feel both of their gazes snapping towards me as I take a seat on the couch. "That's probably why he's avoiding her, I reckon he feels guilty in some way."

"What makes you think that?" Crows asks.

"I'd know about that sort of thing." That shuts him up.

"I think you're right." Yusei has moved back from the D-Wheel. "I remember when we were going after the Dark Signers, Jack seemed a bit off when it came to this Dark Signer. No one of us knew their name, I reckon that was Carly."

"Hmm," I put my hand up to my mouth, "I'll have to talk to Jack about this then." This is probably more serious than I imagined. I wonder if Jack has feelings for her. That would certainly explain his more drastic actions. I suppose that I'll find out eventually.

I take my boots and push the heels of them back against the couch. I curl up into a ball on the couch. From this angle, I can vaguely see Yusei tinker with his D-Wheel. I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. I think I moved around a bit too much today, between getting to the park and back from here. I eventually end up dozing off. The last thing I remember before falling asleep is a jacket being laid over me.


	28. I'll Save You Now

I'm falling head first into a dark abyss. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion. It leaves a sense of uneasiness in my stomach. Suddenly, I feel the ground underneath my feet. Suddenly, everything shifts and I'm the right way up again. Even though I'm standing completely still, my head still feels like it's spinning. I spot a figure off in the distance. Despite not being able to get a good look at the figure, I know that it's Yusei. His name escapes my lips without even a second thought. He turns towards me and I freeze. He's drenched in his own blood. I start hyperventilating but the air tastes like iron. His blood and aura seem metallic. Everything turns a startling shade of violet. I throw my arms out in an attempt to reach Yusei. Only for a black mass to pierce his torso once more. I close my eyes to miss the unpleasant sight, feeling the warm blood splash onto my face. I slowly open my eyes to find a pool of blood where Yusei was standing. I start hyperventilating again. I shut my eyes again in an attempt to wake up. I open them again to find Yusei's helmet in my hands. Blood drips down from the helmet onto the pitch black floor below. I slowly turn the helmet in my hands in fear of what I see inside the helmet. I take a deep breath as I glance inside. The inside is coated in blood. The smell of blood is so strong that it makes me drop the helmet. It smashes the floor beneath me causing me to fall once again into the black abyss.

I jolt awake so fast that I almost fall off the couch in sitting up. I'm barely able to suppress my screams. I clasp my hands over my mouth so tight that it's hard to breathe. With my whole body shaking, I glance around the room. My eyes meet Yusei's. He's frozen, halfway off the chair at the computer. This only causes me to start shaking more. Everything seems to move in fast motion. As Yusei gets me to sit properly on the couch, with my feet firmly planted on the floor. He holds my shaking hands together in his own. My mind is torn between the remnants of my dream and what's in front of me. I can barely make out Yusei's soothing words. Eventually, I can focus on what's around me, but I still shake.

"You had a nightmare, right?" I think that Yusei has realised that I'm bit more grounded in reality, though he still keeps his tone just as soft. I try to even out my breathing enough to reply, but it's harder than I imagined, so I just nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" I hesitate for a few seconds before nodding again. I put my hand on my chest and focus on my breathing. I take deep breaths, in and out, until I'm ready to talk.

"I-" I trip over my words. Where do I even begin to explain this? "I keep having these dreams where I'm falling." I take my hands from Yusei and hold my head. Some attempt at talking about my dreams without reliving them. "When I open my eyes, everything's black. I always see you standing a bit away from me. I reach out," I stare at my hands in front me, taking note of all the blood vessels just beneath my skin, "then." I cover my eyes in an attempt to rid the image from my mind. "You- you- I-" I start shaking again. I feel Yusei's hands cover my own. He pulls my hands away from my face, so gently that it barely feels like he's moving them at all. Once again, he holds both of my hands in his own.

"I'm okay. That nightmare was only just a dream, it's not real." The sensation of bile rises in my throat. I try holding my breath, trying to suppress it, which only makes me feel worse. I nod desperately in an attempt to drill into my head that Yusei isn't dead, I didn't kill him and I won't. So little oxygen is reaching my brain that black spots begin to cloud my vision. Yusei's words no longer register in my mind. I try focusing on my breathing. Flashes of my dream keep coming back into my head. Maybe that's what actually happened? My mind is too muddled to tell the difference. No, that can't be right, Yusei has a torso that seems to function.

"You're okay." I manage to take a full deep breath. "You're okay." Another. "I'm okay." Yusei nods. I take another deep breath. Breathing becomes easier. The tight feeling in my chest peters out and I can breathe again.

"How often do you have that dream?" He softly brushes his thumb over my hands.

"Practically every night since then." I wonder if he knows that my dreams are about _that time_. His brow furrows, he does.

"Yuuka, you know that I don't bla-"

"You don't, but I do." I sigh. "Everything that happened was my fault, and my fault alone."

"What happened to you in the Satellite?" I look away from him. I suppose that I should tell him.

"I went to the Satellite to look for you, but I found Kiryu instead." I pause, closing my eyes. "He fed me lies about how you had changed, how you betrayed everyone and forgot about me. I know now that it's all wrong, but I believed it then. I felt awful. I thought that it was all your fault, and that maybe I'd feel better if I made you feel the same pain that I did. I just wanted to die," I shrug my shoulders and turn to face Yusei, "and I did. I fell into the Old Momentum, and then I woke up." I stare at his face. His face is unreadable, but I think I spot some shred of pity in his eyes. I don't continue. It will keep bringing up memories I'd rather forget.

"You fell into the Old Momentum? Was it an accident or did you...?" Yusei doesn't finish the question, and I think he doesn't want to.

"I mean," I try to reason it out, "I didn't know how close I was to the edge. But, I'm sure there was a part of me that knew." A heavy silence hangs in the air. I'm sure that the implications of what we're saying are weighing on his mind. Though, it's not foreign to me. Merely the thought of it brings back that suffocating pain in my neck. The silence lasts a couple more beats than I intend it to. "Right, I'm gonna go make myself a coffee. Do you want one?" Yusei breaks out of his thoughts long enough to give some sort of a positive response. I sigh before getting up.

While the kettle boils, I take the opportunity to clear my head. I glance at the clock on the oven, eight in the morning. That explains why I haven't seen Jack or Crow yet this morning. Then, I realise that Crow's D-Wheel was missing from the garage. Geez, already gone to work. He'll work himself to an early grave at this rate. I'm surprised that Jack hasn't made more of an effort to help out. Speaking of Jack, I haven't brought up the Carly thing at all. There's been no good opportunity or segue, which is surprising. I try brainstorming ways of doing it. I suppose I should bring it up in a casual way that doesn't look like I suspect it's because of some post-Dark Signer guilt. That should work, or it'll horrendously backfire of course.

I head back into the garage with our coffees to find Yusei completely engrossed in his work. His fingers move at a blisteringly fast pace, that I'm slightly worried for the keyboard. I leave the cup beside him on the desk. Of course, he doesn't notice at first. It takes a few minutes before he picks up the cup, all without taking his eyes from the screen. I find Yusei's fascination with mechanics so interesting, how he can just get lost in his own mind working on them. It takes him a few more minutes to realise that he's actually drinking coffee. He turns around and thanks me, which actually manages to get a giggle out of me. Then, that look appears on his face. That look which tells me that he wants to say something, but he hasn't quite got the words together yet.

"Yeah?" I eventually pipe up after a few beats of silence.

"What?" I've completely snapped him out of his thoughts.

"You were going to say something?" An amused smirk sits on my face.

"Yeah." He nods, but there's a serious look on his face. Oh no, he's insisting on bringing back our previous conversation topic. Every millisecond this silence goes on for, the more heart starts to pound. "Why do you blame yourself? Everything that happened was out of your control."

"Why wouldn't I?" I sigh, a part of me thinks that he'll never understand. "I believed Kiryu's lies. I died with hate in my heart, that's how I became a Dark Signer. I did want revenge on you. I didn't want to kill you, not really. Just make you feel my pain and move on with my life. But when I was a Dark Signer, a part of me did. A small part, but it did exist. And that scares me, it scares me more than anything else. I had the capacity to kill you, and I could have."

"But you didn't." Yusei has that soothing tone he uses when he tries to calm me down, but it doesn't work.

"That doesn't matter." I steel up. "I could have. You need to realise that I made a legit attempt to murder you, can't you just do that?"

"No." His brows furrow. "You weren't yourself, you can't be blamed for what happened."

"Oh what?" I can feel the venom creeping into my voice. "You want me to blame some ancient deity that resurrected me and then possessed me? The real world doesn't work like that. I let myself get to that point, I am to blame." I notice that I'm being more liberal with my hand gestures than normal. I cross my arms in an attempt to stop me blowing my top.

"I'm not saying that." His aura is starting to burn underneath the surface. "I'm just saying that you should be easier on yourself. I see how you look when you think no one else is looking." I uncross my arms and fold my hands in my lap. I imagine my face shows something akin to fear, as Yusei moves over to me. "You're placing all of this blame on yourself, and you're suffering for it." I only that my hands are shaking when Yusei takes them again. "Everyone here cares about you, we hate seeing you like this. Please." Our eyes lock. I have to bit my lip to stop the tears. I down what's left of my coffee despite the temperature.

"I'm gonna go get another coffee." I stand so fast that I almost stumble. Once I'm back at the kitchenette, I let out the breath that I was holding. That was too emotionally intense for me, whoa. He means well, that's what I keep repeating to myself. They all mean well. Admittedly, I _want_ to get over it all, but I don't think I can. I guess something about trying to kill the guy you're in love with never really leaves you. I take another deep breath as I fill the kettle. As I turn it on, I freeze. His aura. I can sense Yusei's aura, it's just a twinkle but it's there. I can sense Jack stirring awake upstairs, probably the sound of the kettle. I focus on their auras. Jack's emotional state of meh as he wakes up. The brief flickers in which Yusei doesn't have full concentration. So many emotions in that twinkle of an aura. It feels so weak to me that I can't quite comprehend it all. Once I've poured another cup of coffee, I grip the edge of the counter and take deep breaths in an effort to prepare myself for going back into the garage. Why am I doing this? I shouldn't have to mentally prepare myself to be around Yusei. I like Yusei, I like being around him. Heck, just being around him makes me feel an awful lot better.

"Earlier, Crow said he'd go with you to get everything from your apartment later on." This is the first thing Yusei says when I sit down.

"Oh did he?" I glance at him as I sip my coffee.

"Yeah, his D-Wheel has the most room for you and since your apartment is too far away for you to walk, we decided to go with that." Is Yusei forgetting that I used to walk that distance twice a day for work? I mean Crow's D-Wheel doesn't have _that_ much more space. Wait, if I went on Yusei's D-Wheel, we'd be _way_ too close for comfort. Oh man, would that be awkward.

"Cool." Yusei's gaze lingers on me for a few seconds before he turns back to the computer. I curse the fact that I can't fully read Yusei's aura. What is he thinking? What is he feeling? Just knowing would take the weight off my chest.

We slip back into that silence, though it's not as comfortable as it once was. It isn't long until Jack gets up. Jack makes himself scarce. He comes into the garage for a few minutes, talking to Yusei about the new engine design or something, honestly I spaced out for most of it. Then he went back upstairs to do whatever he does, I have no idea to be honest. Nothing of particular interest happens until lunch time. There's some attempts at conversation from both ends between Yusei and I, but nothing sticks.

* * *

"You really didn't have to take a longer lunch just for me." I say as I ruffle my hair. Helmet hair just makes me sad, the tangles are a nightmare.

"When did you want to do this then?" Crow asks while fixing the collar of his Blackbird Delivery jacket. "I'm on the late shift today, and they want you out by tomorrow morning."

"That's true." I sigh, trying to turn the stupid key in the goddamn door. I swear this lock has never properly worked. I finally manage to get the door open.

"You weren't kidding when you said your apartment was tiny." I'm so glad I had cleaned my apartment the day before I dueled Raiden. It's relatively clean, except for the pile of clothes on my bed. I assume it's from Shinji and Emiko searching my wardrobe to find clothes for me when I was in hospital. I look around my apartment deciding what to do first. "What are you doing with the furniture, by the way?"

"It was here when I moved in, so I've leaving it here." I get some black bags from a press in the kitchenette. "Anything from the kitchen that has to be binned goes in here. Put everything else in another bag." I start dismantling the pile of clothes on my bed. Emiko was right, most of the clothes are old, worn and not really suited for everyday wear. Lots of party dresses which show a lot of skin and faded gym clothes. I take some of the normal dresses, few in number, and jackets and fold them into a gym bag. I throw the best of the gym clothes in too, before throwing the rest into a black bag. Most of my shoes end up in a black bag too. Heels that would make me taller than Yusei instantly get thrown into the bag, which, unfortunately, is most of them.

"Yuuka," I turn my head to look at Crow, "why is there no food in here at all?" He looks into the fridge.

"Shinji probably threw it all out when he was getting clothes for me." I shrug my shoulders, there wasn't a lot of food to start with in the first place. I manage to scoop all of my toiletries and makeup in two arm-fulls and put them in the gym bag on top of the clothes and shoes. I hurry as fast as I can so that Crow can get back to work as soon as possible.

I manage to fit everything I own into a gym bag and one black bag. It's almost depressing, that my entire life fits into two bags. Having taken my necklace out from under the now bare pillow, I fiddle with it in my hand.

"You travel light, don't you?" Crow looks down at the bags with a raised eyebrow. He spots the necklace in my hand. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep." I move the necklace in my hand, so that the ring hangs down in plain view. I found a plain ring back in the Satellite. I assume it may have been a low end men's wedding band. A younger me decided it would be nice on a necklace since my fingers were too small. I remember being so excited that the ring seemed to match Jack's, though he had his ring on a necklace for as long as I knew him. That's why I stopped wearing it. Once Jack's security guards turned me away, I couldn't bear to look at the necklace and I just kept it underneath my pillow. I suppose that I have no reason to _not_ wear it anymore. I know Jack bore no ill will. I was just too blinded by my own pain to see that. I tie the necklace around my neck. I look down at it, I almost missed that light weight around my neck.

"Are you ready to go?" Crow picks up both bags and moves towards the door.

"Yeah, just give me a minute." I take a step towards the door and look around the room. All of the presses and drawers are open just a smidge. Just enough so I can see that they're empty. The bed is bare of sheets, the pillow sitting on the folded up sheets. The emptiness of the apartment makes me feel a little hollow. This apartment was a huge stepping stone for me. I managed to get out on my own. I didn't have to rely on any one person all of the time. I had my own space. Now I don't have that. I can feel the tears starting to burn my eyes, but I suppress them. Maybe leaving this apartment is my way of leaving Raiden completely behind. Though, deep down, I know that's not true. Raiden had a hold of my heart in a way that no one else did. I notice that Crow has already left, bringing the bags down to the Blackbird. I sigh, closing the door behind me. It takes me a couple of seconds to leave the key underneath the mat. Putting down that key means never coming back here. Leaving behind that chapter of my life. Then, I realise. I already have. I've gotten Raiden out of my life completely, I was ready to leave Black Flag. Putting down the mat, I walk down to Crow beside the Blackbird.

"You doing okay?" Crow looks at me, his head slightly tilted. I, then, realise that my eyes are probably a bit red, so I rub them with my hands.

"Yeah, it's just a weird feeling moving out." I'm about to pick up my helmet when someone calls my name.

"Yuuka! Hey!" Anako does a little jog to reach Crow and I. "How you doing? You feeling better?" She puts her hand on her hip.

"Oh hey Anako. Yeah, yeah, getting better." I move to introduce Anako and Crow, but Anako keeps talking.

"Oh that's good. I was _so_ worried about you." She puts her hand over her heart and pouts. "Did Shinji give you my number by the way? He said he would, but I don't think he has." She scoffs. I notice then that I'm practically the same height as Anako. Our builds aren't too dissimilar either, though I'm a bit stockier than she is.

"No, he hasn't actually." I tap my finger against my chin. I can see Crow texting from the corner of my eye. I spot Aki's name at the top of the screen.

"I knew he didn't." Anako rolls her eyes in a very exaggerated way. I hand her my phone and she puts her number. "Kaoru said you were going to moving out today so I've been waiting around here for a while." I raise my eyebrow. I will admit, that's a bit creepy. "Oh Kaoru's coming along so great in his training, he's a natural." She thinks that I was confused about Kaoru. "And he's so sweet too. We've been talking a lot, he's really nice." Wait, hold on. I mumble out some response. "Are you doing anything Christmas next week? Reika invited me over to hers."

"No idea actually. Ugh, you just reminded me that I have to sort out presents." I hold my hand in front of my mouth. What am I even going to do for that? I have like a lot of friends and no money. Last year, I had some money and three friends.

"Do you know what Kaoru is doing?" Yep, Anako definitely likes my brother.

"Nah, he's probably gonna have dinner with Kasumi." Even the mere thought of that woman makes my stomach churn.

"If you find out, tell me." Anako glances over to Crow. She looks like she only just acknowledged his existence. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry. I'll let you two go." She bows slightly before she scurries off, leaving as quickly as she came. She turns back for a split second. "Call me if you need anything." She winks before running off. What does she know?

"Is she always like that?" Crow mumbles once Anako's out of earshot.

"A chatterbox, yeah." I pick up my helmet again. "Right, let's get back." Crow stashes everything that's not the gym bag into the space at the back of his D-Wheel. I pull the strap of the gym bag over my head so that it goes across my chest, with the bag flat on my back. Driving back makes me realise how much I miss riding D-Wheels. As soon as I got my licence, I got my powers so I never got a D-Wheel for myself. The wind in your face, the exhilaration. I love it. Something about it just inspires a wanderlust in me. A want to leave this godforsaken City behind me and move on to greener pastures.


	29. Moments That Words Don't Reach

"I thought you had lost that necklace."

Jack breaks the silence that had weighed down the air in the minutes after Crow left to go back to work. I fiddle with the necklace between my fingers.

"Nah, did you?" I stare at the necklace. Jack had one that matched this one back in the Satellite. The rings that hang on the necklaces aren't the same, but they're close enough in size and colour.

"Of course not." Jack has always suspected that ring is the last thing that remains of his parents. We fade into silence again. I want to bring up Carly, I probably should. I think I should make more conversation before going into a topic like _that_. "Yusei's gone to get parts, right?" I take a long sip from coffee cup number five. I'm kinda grateful that we're home alone right now. It gives him space to breathe.

"That's right. I don't know when he'll be back." He thinks I want to know when he'll be back. I don't think he realises that I'm not just here for Yusei. Jack and Crow are my family too, for better or for worse.

"So, some girl named Carly called in yesterday." I stare at the wall, turning the cup in my hand. "Apparently, you've been avoiding her." I look at him, he stiffens ever so slightly. He says nothing. "She was a Dark Signer, wasn't she?"

"Yes." He pauses before he replies. I'm surprised he admitted that so easily.

"She doesn't remember anything." Jack nods, he's well aware of that. "You blame yourself for what happened, don't you?" He doesn't say anything, I keep talking. I can tell from his aura that I'm right. "Please don't blame yourself, whatever it was, it was out of your control-"

"You're one to talk." Jack cuts me off, he stares right at me. He's got me there. "Don't think that we don't notice." Please don't tell me that Jack's going to go off on one of his big brother rants. "You just sit around all day, that's not right."

"I mean I can't walk around a lot."

"That's not what I mean." Oh boy. "You take an awful lot of naps. I know you don't sleep at all during the night, so you try to drink as much coffee as you can." I stop just before I down the last of coffee number five. He's right there. "You've seen hell, haven't you?"

"Twice, if we're being exact." Literal hell, two. Metaphorical hell, another two.

"I've seen it too." I put the cup in the sink. I stare right back at Jack. There's a beat of silence. I feel like in that moment we see completely eye to eye. Four years apart, and completely different lives. The life of a King versus the life of a commoner, forcefully kneeling to the ruling class. And yet, here we are.

"Then, you'll know what I'm talking about. You're doing yourself no good by blaming yourself for what happened." I sigh, my shoulders sag. "Why are you avoiding her exactly?" Jack says nothing. I think he's going to ignore the question.

"She only got involved because of me." It surprises me when he answers.

"You think it's the best way to protect her?" He nods solemnly. The only sound in the room is the steady dripping of the tap. No matter how hard I turn the tap, I can't stop it. The sound of it drives me up a wall. "As much as you may think that will work, it won't. She cares too much for you. She'll keep clawing her way back into your life. You feel lonely as all hell without her. You lie awake thinking about everything you did wrong, and how you should have done things differently." I look away from the tap, and back at Jack. There's a small glimpse of realisation in his eyes. I think he realises that I'm speaking from his experience, and that's why I'm standing here right now.

"What do you want me to do?" That look in his eyes is gone. His gaze steels. "She doesn't remember anything, what do I say to her? All she wants is answers."

"Don't say anything." I shrug my shoulders. "If you tell her about what she did, she'd carry that guilt with her for the rest of her life. The realisation that you nearly killed thousands of people isn't a pleasant one." I remember waking up in the Satellite all alone. The realisation of what I had done came back to me all at once. I started sobbing so loudly that it attracted the attention of people nearby. They managed to get me on a boat back to the City once they started up again. I remember very little of that time. Too many memories and too much guilt. "Just-" I pause, trying to figure out how I'm going to word this. "Just reach out to her, but play dumb." I take a deep breath. "If she doesn't remember, great. If she does, don't leave her alone. That's the worst thing you could do." It's true. Being left alone with those thoughts can drive you to do stupid things. I had the bruises and scars to prove it, though my healing factor kicked in before anyone noticed them.

Jack stares at me, I can't tell what he's thinking. Then again, I never have. Jack puts up these walls between himself and everyone else. There are times when I glance through the cracks, but I never get that much from it. Though, I guess you could say the same about me. Despite me having as many emotions as I do, I know that I never show them. Apparently, I'm infamous for having approximately three facial expressions. I wonder what exactly he's thinking. Probably pointing out every parallel between us. Maybe he's thinking about Carly, everything he could do.

I take my phone off the counter and play with it in my hand, running my fingers over the magenta phone case that was picked out for me. Jack's phone buzzes. "I sent you her number, you have a lot to think about."

I walk back down into the garage and take my usual seat on the couch. I start back into my book where I had left off. Some medieval fantasy that Emiko picked out for me. My mind draws similarities between the plot of the book and everything that happened with the Dark Signers, from what I can remember and the mysterious knowledge that managed to find itself in my head. I try to ward that off and just enjoy the book. I end up lying upside down with my legs dangling over the back of the chair in an attempt to find a comfortable writing position. I've read a few more chapters by the time that Yusei comes back. He only realises my strange reading position when he sets down the bag of parts on the desk. I send him a smile, lowering the book so he can see my face. He smiles back, amused. I imagine that I spend a few more hours reading, the way the book is written makes it so easy to read. I set the book down in relief after a particularly tense moment. Yusei looks over to me from in front of the computer. I think I sighed a little too loud. Both of us chuckle, I don't know why, it just came naturally to me. I put the book down for the while. I talk to Yusei with my legs crossed underneath me. Yusei notices the necklace as I move it around to the front, the ring had moved around onto my back. He smiles a little wider than usual. I swear that my heart skips a beat.

* * *

I wake up from my afternoon nap to find Yusei's jacket laid over me, again. I squint at my phone as I try to read the text message that woke me up. At first, I think that the text isn't meant for me.

"Hey Yusei?" I call for out for him as he works on his D-Wheel.

"Yeah?" He moves his head so I can see most of his face instead of just the top of his hair.

"Any particular reason Aki asked to go Christmas shopping with me?" I stare at the text again to make sure that my eyes are working.

"You said you needed to go Christmas shopping, so I asked Aki to go with you." He continues when he sees my confused face. "I think it would be good for you."

"What do you mean by _good for me_?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Interacting with someone who isn't us." He means himself, Jack and Crow. Yusei starts working on his D-Wheel again.

"And by that, you mean a girl." Yusei is still trying to convince me that Aki doesn't hate me. I mean she hasn't given me a reason to believe otherwise so far. I suppose that her asking me to go shopping is more a favour for Yusei.

"No, you have a lot in common with her." Yusei gives me that look, the one he gives me when he wants me to do something. It's a soft look, nothing like Raiden's. Your skin tingles if Raiden looks at you and he wants you to do something. It's not a comfortable tingling. It burns and spreads across your skin, almost like an itch. You'd do anything to get rid of the heat of his eyes. He used it a lot on me. "A lot more than you realise." Yusei stares right at me, throwing any thoughts of Raiden from my head. He's talking about Raiden and Divine, right? Could be the whole psychic thing. I don't even know anymore.

Yusei's eyes are different from Raiden's. They're still warm, but not scorching hot like Raiden's. My knees feel weak when he looks at me like that. I generally end up doing what he asks. They're normally harmless things that don't have much consequence, but the sentiment is still there. "Alright." I pause for a beat. "I'll go." I start texting Aki back. Yusei smiles at me before returning to his D-Wheel. I sigh, I didn't think I was that weak.

* * *

I stand near the entrance of the shopping centre. I look up into the glass dome just inside the entrance. The sky is gray, so not much light comes in. I look down at my phone in an attempt to look busy. Seven minutes until the time I'm supposed to meet Aki at. From the corner of my eye, I can see people glancing at me. Their eyes burn my mark. I suppress the urge to hide my mark with my hands. Mothers shield children under their arms as they walk by. I pretend I don't see it and continue to stare at my phone, trying to enjoy some cute cat videos. I spot a mop of burgundy hair that I imagine is Aki in the crowd moving towards me, so I take my earphones out and shove both my phone and earphones in my purse. To my surprise, it is Aki. I catch her eye, she smiles and moves towards me.

"Hey!" I put on my best smile to greet Aki, waving. She waves back before fixing the hair against her neck.

"Hello." She smiles at me. I notice how pretty her smile is, even though it's not a big one. "How are you doing? How's your leg?"

"Still getting better." We start walking. "My leg still gets a bit sore when I walk too much, but at least I'm not limping as much."

"Oh that's good. I'll make sure you sit down every once in awhile." I nod smiling.

We walk through the crowd in the shopping centre. I notice that Aki is getting as many stares as me. Though I suppose competing in the Fortune Cup would do that to you. The stares are accompanied by whispers. Still, Aki holds her face perfectly. You would think that nothing's wrong. I know she can hear the mutterings under people's breath. Aki is much stronger than me, stronger than I'll ever be.

"What do you need to get for your Christmas shopping then?" I ask her, once we reach a clothes shop.

"Oh I don't need to get anything. I finished my Christmas shopping last week." I stare at Aki confused. Then why did she ask me to join her? Oh wait, Yusei. She definitely likes Yusei.

"Oh, alright then." I rework everything I was going to say in my mind. "Yeah, I need to buy some wool. So I think the shop is right up here." I haven't been in this shopping centre for years, so my mind is a bit rusty.

"Wool?" Aki tilts her head ever so slightly.

"Yeah. Since I've lost my job, the only thing I can afford to do for Christmas is make everyone scarves. It's not much, but it's the best I can do." I have the knitting needles and the time to pull this off, so it works.

"That's a great idea." I turn my head towards Aki, not expecting that answer. "Homemade gifts are really special."

"Yeah, I suppose they are." I put my hand on the back of my neck and give a chuckle. We reach the fabric store and I relax a little. I immediately stop in front of the wool to rest my feet, even though I can't sit down.

"How many colours do you need?" Aki asks, beside me. I start counting everyone on my fingers. Thirteen people, I sigh.

"A lot." Aki hands me a basket. She must have picked it up at the door. "Thank you." Maybe Aki doesn't _entirely_ hate me. I start picking out colours. I think about what colours would suit different people most. I glance towards Aki as she looks at the various different colours of wool and pick up a plum colour to match her dress. I hear more whispers behind us, calling Aki a 'witch'. I see Aki clutch the strap of her purse tighter. Maybe Aki isn't as impenetrable as I thought. I stand closer to her and smile. She smiles back. It's a small smile, she's trying her hardest. Her eyes are soft, I think she's trying not to cry. I end up with six colours, which surprises me.

I pay for the wool, and we leave the shop. I walk a little closer to Aki than before. She doesn't move away. She starts to talk more. I realise that I'll probably need a nice dress to wear at Christmas. We start dress shopping. The first shop we enter, Aki's suggestion, is far too expensive for me. The cheapest dress is just under double what I have in my purse. I think Aki realises this as she sees me walking away immediately once I see the price on every dress. She recommends the cheapest store in the shopping centre, she doesn't refer to it as such to save my pride. I'm well aware of this shop, everything that I didn't make for myself in my wardrobe is from this same shop. The dresses are actually in my budget, what a concept. I wander around the section filled with dresses. There isn't much of a selection that would suit me left. Then again, I waited until the week before Christmas to start shopping. A lot of the dresses show too much chest for my liking. While I'm not wearing my bandages, I'd rather not have my scars on display. I spot a dress with a bateau neckline which catches my eye. The skirt is a rich carmine colour with a slight sheen. The top half of the dress is a plain black fabric with half-length sleeves. I start searching for my size. I shop here enough that I don't need to change into the dress to see if it fits. Thankfully, I sigh, they have my size. Aki notices me holding up a dress from a couple aisles away and walks over to me.

"Ooh, this is a nice dress," She runs her fingers over the bottom hem of the dress, "Nice fabric too."

"Yeah, really nice fabric." I'm not going to be a nerd and talk about the exact fabric that was used. Not now at least.

"Are you going to go try it on?" She takes her hand away from the dress.

"Nah, I'm shop here enough to know that this size will fit me." I laugh a little and so does Aki. I go off to purchase the dress. Aki tells me that she'll wait with the dresses. From the queue, I can see her wandering around, looking at dresses. She told me that she already had her dress picked out, a kind of plum colour with lace overlay. I imagining something elegant but not too fancy for the occasion. Considering it's just the gang getting together and having food. I'm cooking apparently. I'm not opposed to that. If you want something done right, do it yourself and all that. I was just surprised when the guys asked me. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when the lady at the nearest till calls for the next person in the queue. I walk up to the till. The lady at the till, her eyes immediately snap to my mark and she scowls. I wanted to compliment her on her sharp winged eyeliner but I don't think she'd appreciate that. She glares at me as she rings up my purchase. I gingerly hand her exact change, that I took out of my purse beforehand. I walk as fast as I can away from tills without looking suspicious once I'm finished. When I get over to Aki, she raises her eyebrow ever so slightly but decides not to question it.

We walk around the shopping centre for a while. There's a general conversation between us, no particular topics, just saying anything that comes to mind. We're in a book shop by the time my leg starts to act up. I think Aki notices as she keeps glancing at my ankle. I trying standing up straight, but this only causes pain.

"Do you want to go get a coffee?" Aki smiles at me. I feel so embarrassed. I absolutely hate showing any signs of weakness, it only invokes pity and a reason for people to underestimate me. Of course I answer yes, and we walk towards the coffee shop across from the book shop. Perfect placing really. By the time we get to sit down, I practically fall into the chair. I squint at the menu above the tills. Damn, it's pricey. I mentally count how much money I have in my head. I can't even afford the cheapest coffee, I hold back a sigh. "Are you getting anything?" She's still standing up.

"Nah, I'm good for now." I fix my hair, dragging my fingers through the tangles. She glances down at my purse which I left on the table. And now she knows why I'm not getting anything.

"It's my treat." I stare up at Aki. I can't believe she'd do that for me.

"I mean, are you sure?" She nods, with a look in her eye that tells she's not going to accept no for an answer. "Uh, just an Americano then." That's basically the cheapest thing on the menu, so I go with that. I mean, that's what I normally get but still. As Aki queues for our coffee, I'm still in shock. She doesn't have to do this. This is just some favour to Yusei, she shouldn't be spending money on. The longer Aki spends in the queue, the guiltier I become. I've been like this when it comes to money, the thought of someone spending money on me just makes me feel guilty. Though, I suppose Aki, being the daughter of a Senator, views money differently than I do.

"Here you go." She places my cup down on the table. Then, she sits down herself. Judging by the smell, she got some kind of tea. That, and the tea bag in the cup.

"Aw thank you." I start coffee immediately, even though it's ever so slightly scalding my tongue. "What did you get actually?"

"It's a tea with hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips and passion fruit." She reads the tag hanging over the edge of the cup. It sounds so classy and elegant for a tea, perfect for Aki really.

"Not a big fan of tea but that sounds good. Not coffee though?"

"Coffee is too bitter for my liking. But yeah, it tastes really good." She continues to sip the tea.

"Oh yeah, I totally get that. The bitterness doesn't bother me really, as they say, fire can't kill a dragon." Aki laughs at that, I join in. "But anyway, Yusei told me you were thinking of going back to school?"

"I was just thinking. I feel like I should." She looks down, then looks back up at me. "Have you ever thought of going back to school?"

"Nah, formal education isn't my thing." That school was a nightmare and I'm never going back. Aki hums before taking another sip of her tea.

"I was thinking that it might be a good idea. I tried asking Yusei, but that didn't help." She bites her lip. For a second, I glimpse at the sad Aki from Duel Academy. "It might be good for the future if I ever decide to do anything."

"That's true. I remember you placing really high in your class. It could be a good thing to do." She seems surprised that I remembered that. Admittedly, I kept my eye on her back then. She didn't deserve the treatment she got. "Do you have any idea what you would do in the future?"

"Well," she shrugs her shoulder, "when I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor and help people. Or maybe a professional duelist. Though, I think that's out the window now."

"Not necessarily. If you can control your powers, I don't see a problem with you being a professional duelist. I mean, you have the talent."

"Thank you." Her face is slightly red. "I can control my powers now."

"Well done." I smile. "And you're smart enough to be a doctor. Heck, smart enough to be anything you want."

"Thank you," she beams, "really." Aki's smile is really beautiful. I start smiling too, a bigger smile than I've worn in a long time. I nod, and tell her that it's the truth.

"How would you even apply to get back in though?" I pout.

"I contacted their office a few days ago. They'd hold an entrance exam for me, and then decide what year I'd go into." She runs her finger over the tag from the tea bag. "Divine made sure I was tutored while I wasn't in Duel Academy so hopefully I'll get back into the same group that I was in." Her eyes go wide once she realises that she said Divine's name. She presses her fingertips to her lips and looks down.

"I know how you feel." I don't realise that I say this out loud until Aki looks up at me. "I mean, with Raiden and all." I think back to what Yusei told me about Divine. Aki realises what I mean and nods her head. "Don't be afraid to mention his name. He was a part of your life, whether you like it or not. And he had an impact on your life, you can't ignore that. No matter what he did."

"I suppose you're right." Aki nods, a small sigh escaping her lips. She remains silent for a while, sipping her tea every once in awhile. Her aura becomes clear to me all of a sudden. Although she's silent, her mind is constantly mulling over something. Divine, I'm sure.

I stare at my phone on the table, coffee long finished. My life seems so quiet without Raiden. My phone barely rings anymore. The odd text from Anako or Emiko. Everything seems too quiet. A part of me craves that interaction. I almost _want_ Raiden back in my life. I snap myself out of that train of thought. _No._ I left Raiden for a reason. Besides, I couldn't crawl back if I wanted to. Raiden's gone _travelling_. He could be anywhere right now. Plotting of ways to get back at me, getting as far away from this City and its gangs as possible. The second option sure sounds nice. One day. One day, I'll be able to leave. Leave everything behind and travel the world. No cares, no worries. That's the dream. I realise that Aki is staring at her now-empty tea cup.

"Wanna go walk around before we go?" Aki nods, before getting up. Her smile comes back as we walk through aisles upon aisles of clothes. I suppose this is what Yusei meant by 'a lot in common'. I smile, shrug my shoulders, and move on.


	30. Fairytale of Neo Domino

Christmas morning is always a strange time. Kids excited to be getting presents, and everyone else is running around like headless chickens trying to get ready. I suppose it's more strange for me really. Growing up in the Satellite meant that we didn't have spectacular Christmases. Don't get me wrong, Martha tried. Believe me, she _tried_ to make Christmas great for us. But with so many kids in the Satellite, it was hard. So I don't have that festive joy that everyone else seems to have at this time. I guess it just serves as a painful reminder of what I didn't have as a child. Even when I left Martha's, I was the one running around getting everything ready. I suppose everything's still the same now. I fix one of the buntings in the kitchen that has started to fall down. I'm cooking for, honestly I've forgotten how many people. I don't remember agreeing to this. The guys turned around to me one day and asked if I was cooking for Christmas. They kinda put me on the spot so I said yes, against my will more than anything.

The house is really quiet this morning, which I'm grateful for. Crow ran out this morning while I was having cup of coffee number one. He was going to give the presents to the kids. I would have went, I said that last night. But unfortunately, preparing for a Christmas meal is a lot of work. As Crow was hopping on his D-Wheel, he realised that I haven't gone back to Martha's yet. That is true, the last time I saw Martha was the day before I got arrested. Crow insists that I'm going at some stage. I just laugh it off and tell him to head off to Martha's already. I love Martha, don't get me wrong. I'd probably be dead in the Satellite without her. But I'm terrified to go back. The thought of Martha dragging me inside by the earlobe and giving me the lecture of a lifetime isn't exactly a pleasant one. I suppose it would be nice to see Martha again. I'd wear a dress, that'd freak her out. She gave up trying to get me in a dress by age nine. A younger me would be disgusted by anything remotely feminine, seeing it as impractical and weak. Now, I'd wear a dress and heels at any given opportunity. Well, maybe not the heels. Wearing heels makes me taller than Yusei, and that's just wrong. I tried on a pair of heels that I brought over from my old apartment. One glance at the top of Yusei's head, and those heels were _off_. Some girls don't have a problem being taller than their crushes, I do. Or maybe it's because I've always been shorter than Yusei, and this is the closest our heights have been, _ever_. So being taller than him, even artificially, is just wrong. Speaking of Yusei, he's hasn't actually gotten up yet. Shocking, I know, which makes me question how early it actually is.

_Go back to sleep._ I nearly drop my coffee cup when I hear Kaoru's voice in my head.

What?

_It's like four in the morning, go back asleep._

Why are you awake then? Excited for presents? I smirk to myself.

_No, your thoughts woke me up. Go back to sleep._

Nah, gotta start making food. I can hear Kaoru sighing in my head.

_Fine. I'm going to play music until I go back asleep, don't start complaining._ Kaoru's voice goes away. I'm grateful, I hate Kaoru rummaging around in my head. Apparently, he knows about the whole Dark Signer thing. Gods know how, I've been trying not to think about it. Then again, he could have asked Yusei. Would Yusei even tell Kaoru about that? That's a good question. I give up and down the rest of my coffee.

* * *

So apparently, Shinji and Reika want me to go to the garage where Reika works for a _special surprise_. A Christmas present obviously, and given where I'm going, it's pretty obvious what they're going to give me. And I'm fairly certain that Kaoru's in on this too. Given by how he's holding himself anyway. Speaking of Kaoru, he keeps glancing at me from the corner of his eye as we walk. A habit of his to get me to talk first.

"Yes?" I say it quite bluntly, well aware of what he's up to.

"What?" He sounds surprised.

"Spit it out." Then, he glances at me nervously.

"Fine." He sighs. "There's something that doesn't make sense to me." I nod, letting him continue. Something about gangs for sure, or something related to them. "I've heard you say that you didn't know anyone else by name that I didn't already know. But then you said that you were handing over Black Flag to this kid called Yuudai. That makes no sense at all, you're lying about something."

"I'm not lying, I didn't know anyone else in Black Flag."

"But then who is Yuudai?"

"Hey." I turn to look at him. "Just think about it. It's simple. You've met or at least seen everyone I knew in Black Flag. That means you already know Yuudai." Kaoru's eyes dart around. He pauses and he gasps quietly like he figured it out.

"Takumi and Kenta are double agents?" I stop walking. Kaoru stops too. He looks back over his shoulder before turning around. He goes to question me, but then he freezes.

"No." I say nothing. Not a bad guess, but he's wrong.

"No." His eyes widen a little bit. "No way." I sigh. "It's you, you're Yuudai." I don't say anything, but he's right. He stares at me. I know he's working out every detail in his eyes, trying to figure out all of the facets my identity and how they combine to form me. I keep walking, Kaoru eventually follows me.

* * *

Kaoru puts on a smile when we get to the garage. Reika runs over to me and crushes me in a hug.

"I've missed you so much." Are those tears in her eyes? "I'm so sorry I haven't visited you, I haven't had a day off since you woke up." Doesn't surprise me, Reika doesn't have free time these days. She just says in the garage either working for money, apparently the boss lets her stay in the garage after working hours to work on her own projects. I suppose that's what you get when you're not marked. Once she comes out of the hug, she immediately wipes her hands in a rag.

"I missed you too." I say it like I saw Reika at all before my accident.

Shinji asks about my leg. I don't complain for once. It's basically healed. He tells me to be careful, don't do anything too dangerous. A part of me wonders if he knows what I'm going to do. I hope not. We were supposed to be leaving gangs behind for good. Now, it's just him. Shinji and Reika get to go off and be happy. Me, I get stuck in limbo for another few months at least. At least. I can't bear the thought of this lasting for more than a year. Kaoru looks at me. He's been staring at me for the last while. He doesn't know what to think about the whole Yuudai situation. I'm sure that a part of him wants to ask Shinji about everything. I'm not letting him. Shinji won't want a part of this, so I'm not going to allow Kaoru to drag him into this.

"So you're probably wondering why you're here." Reika fidgets on spot.

"Not really." I shrug my shoulders.

"Kaoru, did you tell her?" Shinji glares in Kaoru's direction.

"I swear I didn't." Kaoru holds his hands up. "And she doesn't know, even through the telepathy thing."

"Yeah, I figured out what you're doing myself." Reika huffs a little bit, wanting it to be a surprise.

"So anyway, we wanted to give you something." Shinji starts. "You've had a hard time lately."

"Originally we wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but then I needed to get help on the-" Reika realises that she's starting to ramble and stops.

"Well, we finally finished it." Shinji continues talking as Reika wraps her arm around his waist. He gestures to something covered in a giant cloth on the other side of the room. The three of them look at me, so I walk forward. I run my hand over the top of the cloth, the cold seeps into my hand. I pull the sheet off with force. Just like I thought. I run my hand along the cold body of the D-Wheel. I spot my duel disk and a shining helmet on the seat. I move to the front of the D-Wheel. An orange jewel sits at the front on the D-Wheel, as it narrows to a point.

"Trishula." The word spills from my lips.

"Yeah, I based the design of your D-Wheel off Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, since you like that card so much." I take said card out, and smile.

"It looks great." I smile at Reika. "Thank you."

"Oh I'm glad you like it!" Reika tackles me in a hug. I start giggling, that's very unlike her. I feel so warm inside. I love my friends. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve them. I keep smiling, I want to let them know how I feel. 'Thank you's keep spilling from my mouth, and I can't stop. My eyes start to water. Shinji crushes me in a bear hug, laughing. He pats my head, messing up my hair.

"So, I should probably go on a little joyride, huh?" I gesture to my new ride.

"Nuh-uh." Reika has her _scolding_ face on. "You can't drive while you're like this." I sigh. "No D-Wheel for you until you're better. And before you think about sneaking off with it, I've told Yusei about this." Well, there goes any hope of riding my D-Wheel for the next year.

"You gave me a D-Wheel, and told me that I can't use it."

"Yes." Reika's eyes are slightly wide as she realises the flaw in her logic.

"Fine." I sigh. "I'm basically better, so jokes on you."

"It's true. I don't have to walk slower anymore." I give Kaoru a pointed look. He never told me about this, and frankly I'm a bit embarrassed.

We stay chatting in the garage for a while. Talking about plans for the Christmas. Shinji and Reika are having a joint Christmas again at Reika's house as usual. Normally, I join them. But this year, I'm not. Kaoru stays unusually silent, which is odd. I end up giving Reika and Shinji their Christmas presents. Knitted scarves, which I'm sure are a disappointment after a great present like my D-Wheel. A red scarf for Reika, and a grey scarf for Shinji.

It isn't until we're wheeling the D-Wheel back to Poppo Time that I realise why. Apparently, Kasumi booked to go on holidays during Christmas while I was in my coma. Kaoru, not knowing what to do, said no to going with her and her sisters, and the inevitable cousins that followed. I mean, I would have _hated_ to go. That entire family hates me, and I hate them. They blame me for how Kasumi turned out, and think I'm a disgrace for having the _audacity_ to be marked in this family. I invite him to have dinner at Poppo Time. It beats being alone. Since he's too shy at ask Emiko to go to her house, and all that. I think back to Anako. She's lingered in my head ever since I moved out from my old apartment. I feel guilty. I know why. Everything in my life seems to lead back to Raiden.

* * *

I get Yusei to open the garage door so I can wheel my D-Wheel. I'm surprised when I see my father standing in the garage next to Yusei.

"Oh, so this is your new D-Wheel." My father walks up to the D-Wheel and runs his hand over the body.

"Yeah, it is." I smile at Yusei. I know that he helped Reika with the engine, that much is obvious.

"Your friend did a bangup job." My dad turns back to me.

"She did." My dad walks over to me. Yusei walks over to the computer and starts typing.

"I left your present near the couch." He points to the corner of the room. Three packages stacked on top of each other. Curious. Before I can respond with a 'thank you', he keeps talking. He glances over to Yusei before lowering his voice. "He's a keeper." I nearly choke on my spit. My dad pats me on the back. "Right, I'll leave you to it." He leaves straight after, and I'm pretty sure that my face is beet red.

"Aren't you gonna open your presents?" Yusei gets up from the computer, standing next to me as I admire my new D-Wheel. There's a slight hint of teasing in his voice.

"Nah, gotta go baste the turkey." This doesn't get me to move. I sigh, finally starting to move away from it, as much as it pains me. "But thanks for helping." I pat the front of the D-Wheel. In a bold move, I press my lips to Yusei's cheeks, and finally go upstairs into the kitchen. It's only when my feet touch the kitchen floor, that I realise what I've just done.

"You're an idiot." Kaoru remarks as I waddle slowly to the oven.

"What happened?" Crow asks, not exactly sure if he wants to hear the answer.

"Nothing." I manage to squeak out, getting the turkey out of the oven.

"Gentlemen, this is the face of someone regretting all of their life decisions at once." I stare at Kaoru until he shuts up. I sigh. Without even looking at them, I can tell that Crow and Jack are confused. I pick the recipe for everything, checking over everything. I start counting on my hands, that's the last time the turkey has to go in the oven. At least, I'm pretty sure.

"Do she normally squint that much?" I put the recipe on the counter, and fully turn to face Kaoru.

"I can just _not_ cook dinner." I shrug my shoulders.

"I said nothing." Crow throws his hands up. Only then I realise that Jack has mysteriously vanished from the room, he does that sometimes.

"I mean, you do realise that you forgot your glasses at home?"

"Wait, you wear glasses?" Crow tries to suppress a laugh. I sigh.

"Yeah, I'm blind as a bat. But I look like a nerd when I wear my glasses, so I don't." While I'm sure the image of me in glasses is amusing to other people, it's an image I'd rather forget. The glasses just remind me of Kasumi trying to form into something _acceptable_. Almost as if, maybe, the glasses would force some 'smart' into my brain.

* * *

By the time I'm nearly finished cooking, I'm a wreck. My hair starts clinging to the back of my neck, so I tie it up. Some strands fall out, so I slick them back to get them to stay, they don't. Yusei comes into the kitchen, I don't notice until he's right beside me.

"Do you want any help?" I jump a little bit, and I look at him.

"I'm nearly done, you can go sit down." I try to smile with him, but I'm too occupied getting the potatoes out of the oven.

"Your hair looks nice like that." My brain shuts off as I try to mumble some sort of phrase meaning thank you. I can feel my cheeks heating up.

"I better go get changed." I go and get the dress I bought along with a pair of shoes from my clothes bag which always sits beside the couch in the garage. "Kaoru, make the gravy." I say as I hustle through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. While changing, I suddenly become aware of my scar. Starting at my chest, moving down through my cleavage and veering out around my belly button. Lines jolt out from my scar at the ends, almost like I was struck by lightning. While I don't have to wear bandages anymore, it still hasn't quite healed. It's strange. My healing factor should have kicked in, and at most have left a faint outline of it at this stage. The scar stays like it would on anyone else. Could it be related to my powers not working like they should lately? Sometimes the edge of the scar tingles, just like my powers used to. It just brings up memories of Raiden hurling me through a wall with his attack. It still hurts. As much I cursed and hated him, a part of me still misses him. This is the first time I haven't celebrated Christmas with Raiden. I hastily throw on my dress in an effort to get back downstairs quicker. I run my hands on the short carmine skirt, enjoying the feeling of the sheen on the fabric. I pull the sleeves down so they sit just below my elbows, though I have a feeling I'll probably be pushing them up later.

I take my hair down, letting it fall behind my shoulders. I stare at myself in the mirror. Shaking my head, I pull my hair back up into a ponytail. I tuck some strands out at the front to frame my face, and hide a pimple. My fringe naturally falls into my eyes, as it isn't a tight ponytail. It's a nice look I'll admit. I'm tempted to keep it. I mean Yusei likes it, so I guess I should. Oh gods, did I really just think that? Despite the fact that I'm alone, I cover my face with my hands. I shove that thought deep down inside me, I'll deal with that later. I have to finish making food, then I drown in those feelings which should, quite frankly, only belong to school girl.

Going downstairs, I check over everything, double checking my recipes. That's everything I think. Then I notice the _gravy_ that Kaoru made.

"That's coffee."

"What?" Kaoru turns around to me, putting a bowl of vegetables down on the counter.

"That's not gravy, that's coffee." I point to the gravy dish, which clearly doesn't contain coffee.

"Are you sure about that? That's gravy." I pick up the dish, and pour it into my mouth.

"That's coffee, mate." I can feel everyone in the room staring at me as I continue to pour coffee into my mouth. "What? I'm not going to waste perfectly good coffee." Admittedly, it's fun to drink coffee out of something that you're _not_ supposed to drink coffee from.

* * *

We borrow a rather large table and some chairs from Zora, and set them up in the garage. Dinner contains the expected levels of noise and bickering that I've come to expect from these people. Sadly, Aki won't be joining us until later because she's having dinner with her parents. Though, we do have the twins with us, so that's a plus. We've barely begun eating before Kaoru throws some vague attempts at insults at me.

"Are you even chewing?" I can't answer him since my mouth is full of food. So, I decide to stare at him until it's no longer full.

"Of course I do. I just eat fast, unlike you." I, then, manage to stick half of a roast potato in my mouth in one go.

I notice that Jack won't look me in the eye. What has he done now? Did he mess things up with Carly and now blames me? Or is it something else entirely? I shrug my shoulders and continue eating. I resist to roll my eyes and groan when the inevitable bickering starts. I can see the same sentiment in Yusei beside me, despite his usual stoic exterior. I don't even listen. Something about who gets the remaining turkey leg, since I had nabbed the first one. I cooked the food, I deserve the best bit of the turkey. I offer a bit of the turkey leg to Yusei, just to spite them. He accepts it, of course. I revel at Jack and Crow's betrayed faces. Kaoru mutters something about me being a drama queen. I literally have to put my knife and fork down, I'm that offended. Kaoru suggests that they split the turkey leg, before shoving more food in his mouth like he hadn't said anything. This doesn't stop them quarrelling, because how do you split a turkey leg equally? Eventually, I crack, slicing it down the middle, not caring if it's equal or not. Ruka comments that I seem like a mother. I don't know how to react to that. A mother to three grown ass men, I say. Not exactly my cup of tea, at least not while I'm single. I just want _someone_ beside me when I finally have kids. It's then that I regret the fact that we didn't get some alcohol for today. Gods forbid, I'd have to drink _water_ at Christmas, what a disgrace. I finish before everyone else, as usual. I just sit admiring the scene. Beside the bickering and noise, there's a nice serenity. Despite everything that's happened, we've all found each other. Even if we're not related by blood, we're still family. Isn't that what matters?

* * *

I'm cleaning up in the kitchen with Crow. We have a nice system. I clean, he dries and puts everything away. He's telling me about the kids getting their presents. I can tell that he's really proud of those kids. Then, all of a sudden, he changes the topic out of nowhere.

"So, what's the deal with you and Yusei anyway?" I put the pot I'm cleaning back into the sink. I turn my head and stare at him.

"What do you mean?" I try to seem impartial, secretly trying to hide the fact that I'm just a little bit flustered.

"You know what I mean."

"Yusei and I are just friends." I go back to cleaning the pot. Crow is squinting at me, he's called my bluff. The sound of my heartbeat is deafening. "Nothing's going on between us." If possible, Crow is squinting and raising his eyebrows more.

" _Sure._ " His tone is so sarcastic, that I almost feel attacked. "I've seen the way you two look at each other."

"What? We don't look at each other any different than anyone else." Crow stops drying in his tracks and stares at me. He knows. I hear Aki's voice in the basement. Crow puts a plate back in the press, and goes downstairs to greet her. Each other, he said. That's the second time someone has commented on it. Is it possible that this is a mutual thing? No, it couldn't be. Right?

"How about you and Aki, huh?" I say when Crow starts drying the pot I cleaned. There's a cat-like grin on my face.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." I wiggle my eyebrows. He's clearly not impressed. "You do seem to text her a lot. You're quite fond of her, my friend."

"Okay, fine, yes. Just keep your voice down." He looks pointedly at me. I keep cleaning another pot while smirking at him.

"Your secret is safe with me, friend."

"Good." He sighs. He glances at the stairs, almost to check if anyone heard him. From what I can tell, no one heard him downstairs. At least Aki and Yusei didn't. I can't say for the others, I can't read their auras too well. My powers haven't fully returned. Something in Crow's aura changes beside me. That's new. I was able to sense it before, interesting. "Okay, now you have to spill."

"Not right now." I keep my voice to a whisper. "I'm seeing how things play out." I can't say anything until I figure what I said after I lost my duel to Yusei. What I say depends on what I said back then. It could well have been something friendship ruining, and I don't want to say anything in case it was.

"Alright then." Crow accepts it, a little disappointed. "You better tell me eventually."

"Oh don't worry I will." Either way, I'll be screaming at the top of lungs or crying hysterically. He'll know the answer either way.

"So, you do like him?" He says it in a hushed tone, and I glare at him.

"I told you, I'm not saying anything."

"Fine, fine." He raises his hands in self defense. "Though, you're not great at being subtle." He puts away the last of the forks and walks away. What's that supposed to mean? I wanted to ask, but he's already walking down the stairs into the garage. I sigh, and follow him. Everyone's split between sitting at the table and standing up. I stand and talk to Aki for a while. Ever since that shopping trip, we've been talking a lot more. I'm surprised actually. We get along really well. I suppose Yusei was right after all. Though, we haven't gotten close enough that she'll open up about the Arcadia Movement. However, I suspect she doesn't talk about with anyone. I try to ignore that. Kaoru brings up his training. I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to be doing that. Though, Anako seems to have taken my place, and shows no signs of complaining. I feel a little betrayed in a sense. I only just got my brother back, and Anako seems to be stealing him away from me. I try my best to slide that to the back of my mind and enjoy the night, before Kaoru catches the thought.

Present giving starts relatively soon after that. I hand out the scarves to everyone, and silently lamenting my lack of money. A plum scarf for Aki, a magenta scarf for Ruka and a blue scarf for Rua. Aki and the twins pitched in and got me a voucher for the local fabric store, since Yusei mentioned that I was a seamstress and that I make most of my own clothes. A red scarf for Yusei, a purple scarf for Jack and a scarf that matches Crow's headband. Crow's headband is a tricky colour to describe, honestly a different colour comes to mind everytime I think of it. The three of them explain that they'd chipped in on making a D-Wheel, which was part of their present. They hand me a parcel. Saying that it's shoulder, elbow and knee pads, so I don't hurt myself. I laugh, and thank them. Not without reminding them that I do indeed have a licence and that I won't hurt myself. Yusei puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me this look. I raise my eyebrows, but he says nothing. He thinks I'll get hurt, he worries too much for his own good, especially when I'm involved.

* * *

As everyone is starting to leave, I suddenly remember that I haven't opened my dad's present yet. Apparently Kaoru helped him with picking something out, and by that he means he asked Emiko for help but is taking the credit.

Yusei sits with me as I open the parcel shaped the most like a regular box. I try to open the parcel without ripping the wrapping paper, there's always a way to reuse it. I spot the brand name on the box and I actually have to stop and breathe. Yusei looks at me like there's something wrong. Crow comes into the basement when I start verbally expressing my emotions.

"It's a sewing machine." I manage to get out. It's a damn expensive one at that. "Oh gods." I fan myself in order to calm myself down. Once I've calmed down enough, I start to open the other packages. A nice table with drawers to hold my sewing supplies, with a chair to match. The other package holds some black and magenta fabric, along with some fabric scissors, chalk and a sewing kit with all the trimmings. It's then I nearly start crying. Crow jokingly asks if I'm crying. I honestly couldn't give him a straight answer. Once I've calmed down a bit, I go into the kitchen to call my dad.

"Hey kiddo." He picks up the phone, I can hear the smile in his voice. I barely get the hello before thank yous keep spilling from my mouth. He laughs. "I thought I'd do something nice for you. I think you needed it."

"Everyone's been saying that. I'm starting to think I don't deserve it all."

"Now, don't you say that." I imagine he's doing that 'dad pointed look' that he makes sometimes. "Your friends care about you. Just say thank you, and don't be saying those things."

"Alright then." I hold my hand to my forehead, feeling a little bit overwhelmed.

"You can make some money using that sewing machine. I've seen some of the things you can make, they're great. You could make a right few quid with that, you hear?"

"Right, thank you." I can feel the rouge starting to bloom in my cheeks. "Maybe I'll be able to go out and get my own place."

"As in move out? Are you not happy living with the guys? You know I told that Yusei guy is a keeper."

"I know you said that." I try to suppress the blush in my cheeks. "But I can't exactly crash on my somebody's couch for the rest of my life." He pauses for a beat.

"I suppose you're right. You could always come and live with me again. We have a spare bedroom for a reason."

"Dad, I love you and everything. But, if I did that, I'd feel like I'd taking advantage of your kindness. You've done more than enough for me already."

"I get what you mean. You've been living on your own so long, I'd imagine it's hard to rely on people again."

"Yeah, it is." And I'm still not used to it. I pull more than my own weight around here. The guys barely do anything now, though it was like that back in the Satellite.

"Call me if you need help with anything." The tone of his voice tells me that it's more of a command than anything.

"I will, don't worry."

"Goodnight Yuuka. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Dad, night." I hang up the phone. What my dad said was right. It's hard relying on people when you've been on your own for so long. I need to get out on my own, stand on my own two feet. Even if that means seeing Yusei and the guys less. I left Raiden to be independent. And independent is what I'm going to be.


	31. Mother And Daughter

It's been a couple of weeks since Christmas, and every job application I've submitted has been declined. Either right when I handed it in, whether or not they said it was because of my mark, I knew why. Or they took it silently and never gave me an interview. I still haven't taken the message, I keep applying for everywhere. Even if they don't say they're hiring. Someone will give me a chance eventually. Though that's hard when you're a dropout and you were fired from your last job. Thankfully, Reika let me put down her garage as a previous job and acts as my reference. That's the only way I'll get a job. Like Mrs. Kimura would give me a good reference after what happened. Heck, she wouldn't have, even before that.

To cheer me up, Emiko decides to go through apartments with me in the newspaper. Mostly people looking for a roommate in areas far beyond anything I hope to earn. I sigh for what feels like the millionth time, the newspaper full of crossed out advertisements. There's only so many times you can see 'Satellites need not apply'.

"You could live at my house for a while. We have more than enough space." Emiko offers after a while.

"Emiko, your dad is _literally_ a politician. I don't think the media would take too kindly to that." I rub my fingertips over my mark.

"But the City and Satellite are united now. If anything, that will make him look great." She still doesn't understand.

"The bridge still hasn't fixed the problem." She looks taken aback. "And it never will. It will take decades for me to be equal to you, if even."

"Surely, it can't be _that_ bad." Kaoru puts down the newspaper.

"Oh it can." I raise my eyebrows. "Crow was asked to leave a shop the other day because he seemed _suspicious_." It took all of me not to march down to that shop and give them a piece of my mind. When I say all of me, but I mean Yusei. "They pulled the whole _we reserve the right to refuse service_. Bigoted bull, that's what that is." I'm waiting for the whole 'Crow has a bunch of marks, of course he looks suspicious', but it doesn't come. I just want to be treated as human, rather than a walking threat for what is essentially a tattoo. The silence lingers for a while as we start looking at the newspapers again. Nothing. There is literally nothing out there for me.

"You could move in with us." Kaoru mutters after a while.

"No, I told you I'm not speaking to that _woman_." I can feel the venom dripping from my mouth.

"I'm just saying."

"I know you're just saying, but that is literally the last thing I'd do."

"And you're not going to move in with Dad?"

"No, I'd feel like I'd be taking advantage of him." I can feel Kaoru suppressing a sigh.

"Shinji and Reika aren't options I assume?"

"I'm not living on someone's couch, Kaoru." I say with more venom than I intended to.

"Your friends aren't an option either?"

"Takumi and Kenta already live together, and besides Kenta hates me." I can feel Kaoru getting frustrated with me.

"Then you've run out of options." Emiko jumps a little, Kaoru's at the end of his tether. I say nothing, closing my eyes. I slide down on the couch so my head rests on the back. "Nowhere is hiring you, rent is too expensive. You either move in with us or stay here forever." He stands up. "Unlike you, I actually have things to do." He walks out of the room. I say walk, it's more like storms out. Emiko stands up, glances at the stairs, then back to me.

"I should probably go calm him down." She manages to squeak out before leaving. I stay in the kitchen for a few more minutes, trying to calm myself down before something happens. Eventually, I get up and head back into the garage. I pick up another book, a present from Emiko, and start from where I left off.

* * *

I've gotten into my usual upside down reading position by the time all three of the guys are back in the house. I only start complaining when they block my reading light. I'm about to open my mouth to voice my complaint, but Yusei beats me to it.

"Yuuka, we need to talk."

"Why?" I sigh, not really wanting to put down my book.

"It's important." I give up, sliding the bookmark in.

"Fine. What is this about anyway?"

"Let's go talk in the kitchen." We really need to fix, the only place you can have a serious sitting conversation in this house is the kitchen.

"Right, what's up?" I say once everyone has sat down.

"We know you're looking for a job and trying to get your own place. We know you're having a hard time." Crow starts. "But we need to talk to you about your mother."

"Well, she's been dead for twelve years." I know exactly what he's talking about.

"No, he means your birth mother." Yusei pipes in, giving Crow a look.

"Here we go." I say as I roll my eyes.

"No, listen to us." Crow's eyebrows are furrowed. "Growing up, we thought we were all orphans. You came to this City and you found what we dreamed of, a family. You've met your real mother, but you're just gonna throw that away? For what?"

"One, she's not my real mother. She didn't raise me, she never cared about me at all."

"How do you know that?" I know all eyes are on me.

"She gave me up, Crow." Yusei and Jack sit in silent as Crow and I become more intense.

"You don't know that's true." I exhale through my nostrils. I'm done.

"You know what. I don't have to deal with this." I move to get up.

"You're just being stubborn." I'm surprised when Jack speaks up. "You should be grabbing the bull by horns, not running away like a coward." A coward. That strikes me deep down. I sit back down.

"We're not asking you to go live with her. We just want you to go talk to her. We didn't get the chance to meet our parents. You still have that. We don't want you to waste that."

"Yuuka, please." Yusei pipes up, those two words are enough. My name rolls off his tongue so effortlessly.

"Fine, I guess." I groan a little bit. I don't want to do this, but I'll do it for them.

* * *

I have my sewing machine set up so that I can face Yusei working on his D-Wheel. I'm trying to work out a design that will work with the shoulder, elbow and knee pads. I end up with a magenta jacket with a darker shade for the trim. The shoulder pads would straight up sewn into the jacket, with the elbow pads being scrapped, in favour of rolled up sleeves. I'm almost about to start cutting my magenta fabric when I realise that I'd properly ruin my elbows if I crashed. I have shitty elbows as is, so that idea is scrapped. I end up with a plain magenta jacket. Using the elastic straps on the pads means that I don't have to sew them into the jacket. But also, I can just take them off when I'm not on my D-Wheel because they can be uncomfortable sometimes. Practicality, and it looks great. That's all a girl needs. With the voucher Aki, Rua and Ruka gave me, I was able to buy some nice denim. They made for a nice pair of blue jeans. I even used that brown thread to make them look like shop bought jeans. Finished with everything, I lay them over the arm of the couch. Yusei catches my eye and smiles. I can't help but smile back.

* * *

Tightening my ponytail, I sigh. I admire my new outfit in my mirror, all while trying to find faults in the seams. I can't seem to find anything now, though I will probably have to touch them up later. I notice my scar ever so slightly showing on my midriff, so I pull my cropped black t-shirt down. I walk from the bathroom back down to the garage. I stand staring at my D-Wheel, parked next to Yusei's. I've taken on test drives before. I can do this. Though, that's not what I'm worrying about. I'm heading off to see Kasumi today. I don't think she knows I'm coming, which puts me a little at ease, since she's not going to be expecting anything. I take a deep breath, but my feet still don't move. I reckon I'm standing for a good while before someone makes a comment.

"Do you think she's ever going to move?" I can hear Crow say as I continue to stare at my D-Wheel, willing myself to move.

"Eventually." Yusei says, sitting in front of the computer.

"I'm going to go," I say, "Eventually."

"Why haven't you gone yet?"

"She thinks she can hold off on going if she stands here long enough." I mean Yusei isn't _entirely_ wrong.

"I'm just really nervous okay." I take a step towards the D-Wheel before I start to freak out. "Nope, can't do it." I start to scurry away, before Crow takes my arm and drags me back to where I was. I sigh.

"You said you'd go." I did. "So you're going." I groan, and sit on my D-Wheel with my helmet on. "Yuuka." Crow looks at me.

"Give me a minute." The visor isn't even down on my helmet. I take a deep breath, lowering the visor. I finally drive out of the garage.

* * *

It's not a pleasant drive. My mind is only filled of ways this could go wrong, each one getting progressively worse. Kaoru just tells me to wait outside the house. He opens the garage door, letting me inside. I park my D-Wheel, putting my helmet on the seat. It's then when it settles in where I am. I thought I'd never be back in this house again. I stand looking around the garage for a moment. The fridge and freezer Kasumi used to store everything that didn't fit in the kitchen. Her car. The set of garden furniture. Everything here reeks of _her_. Am I really ready to see her again? The woman who ruined my time in this City. She made that time living hell.

Kaoru gestures to the house with his head, wanting me to go in. I follow him at a snail's pace. How am I going to react? Will the mere sight of her cause my powers to go beserk? How will she react to _me_? Does she even want to see me? I can hear her in the kitchen, calling for Kaoru.

"Did your friend arrive, honey?" My hands start shaking. "I'm really excited to meet them." My breath keeps catching in my chest. "Nice to meet y-" Our eyes meet. Her eyes are that curious red-violet colour, not quite purple, not quite magenta. Her eyes gloss over. "Yuuka." She tackles me into a hug. Her shoulders start shaking. I look at Kaoru, hoping he'll tell what I should do. He just shrugs his shoulders. I hesitate before patting her softly on the back. She only squeezes me tighter. Her tears start to stain my jacket. All thoughts vacate my head. All I can focus on is this woman crying on my shoulder. Hugging me tight like she can't believe I'm actually in front of her. In that moment, I feel grounded. Like it's the first moment my feet has touched the earth in years, like I'm actually here and _alive_. I go to rest my head on hers, but she pulls away, wiping her eyes. Her makeup is smudged, her black eyeliner starting to run down her face.

"It's good to see you." She manages to say despite the tears. I nod, unable for words. It's strange. I'm not filled with resentment, anger or anything else. It's an almost _numb_ feeling, like I'm simply an observer.

"We should probably sit down." Kaoru suddenly pipes up, I had almost forgotten he was there. I think Kasumi did too.

"Yeah." She puts her hand on her forehead, she lingers behind us. I look back at her, she looks up at me. Tears are coming back to her eyes. The lines on her face have only become more pronounced in the time that I was gone. I can't help but wonder if it's because of me. I walk into the sitting room and sit down on the love-seat by myself. Kasumi comes in, wiping her eyes, and sits on the longer couch, next to Kaoru. The room is silent. I wait for Kasumi to start.

"I'm sorry." She holds her hands together so they stop shaking. Her voice quivers. "I'm so sorry."

"What?" I manage to stumble over the word, but I get it out.

"I'm sorry. Everything that has happened to you, it's my fault." My breath catches in my chest. "I can't help thinking, if I had done everything differently, you wouldn't-" Her shoulders shake like she's about to start crying again. "You could have had a better life."

She stops talking after that. She tries to look at me, I can hear her breath hiccuping in her chest. Kaoru, with a hand on Kasumi's back, looks towards me. They both want me to say something. What can I say? This woman made my life a living hell once I moved to the City. The very catalyst that caused my powers to appear, effectively ruining my life. Sending me on that downward spiral that leads me back here now. She regrets it. Clearly, I can tell that by looking at her. I don't know what to think, what to say, what to do. Do I accept what she says, or do I run and leave everything behind? I see so much of my own mother in Kasumi, then again, they are sisters. The eyes are different, but apart from that, they look identical. They could have passed for twins back in the day. Just like me and Kaoru. The thought strikes me suddenly. What if I lost my own child and Kaoru in one go? I don't think I could handle it. Now, I've come to depend on Kaoru so much. He's the greatest brother you could ask for. Suddenly, I understand. The strain on Kasumi's mind. She's survived so long with that burden, that guilt. Just like my own mother, I suddenly see myself in Kasumi.

"I forgive you."


	32. Wipe The Tears Away

"I forgive you."

The room freezes. Kasumi and Kaoru stare at me like they can't believe those words came from _my_ mouth. While a part of me will always resent Kasumi's effect on my life, this is a start. I see that guilt, resentment and pain in her eyes. I understand. I've been there, I still am there. Those are the words I want to hear most. She needs them too. Tears fall down Kasumi's face. She grips Kaoru tightly as she shakes. Kaoru, holding her, looks over to me and smiles, silently thanking me. My heart aches looking at Kasumi. The image starts to burn into my mind.

"Thank you." I hear her whisper. Kaoru moves, letting Kasumi sit upright. "Thank you." She repeats it at normal volume. Silence lingers in the room, as Kasumi wipes away her tears.

"How have you been?" She bites her lip, an effort to stay composed enough to speak.

"I've been better." And that better was a long time ago in the Satellite.

"I suppose that's better than nothing." Kasumi speaks in a lower volume now. I can hear Kaoru putting on the kettle in the kitchen. Kasumi was always been a firm believer of the 'if in doubt, give someone a hot drink' way of life. Admittedly, this is where my coffee addiction started. I take a good look around the sitting room. It's practically the same as I remember it. The television is different, bigger. It's quite old fashioned. This room looks like it belongs in an old person's house, not a single middle-aged woman with a grown-up kid. "What have been up to then? Your father's told me nothing." She glances at the door separating the sitting room and the kitchen. I look at the door. What has _Kaoru_ told her?

"I was working as a seamstress for a while, though I just got fired."

"Fired?" She leans forward. "Why would you get fired?"

"It's a long story. Let's just say I had a _disagreement_ with my boss' son." I spare Kasumi the long winded explanation. Raiden tried to kill me, I got fired for it. City logic at its finest.

"Was it to do with your mark?" She says it very quietly, almost like she didn't mean to say it at all.

"No, it was more to do with the psychic thing."

"Oh." Kasumi realises that she said that outloud. "Oh." This comes out quieter, almost like she's ashamed. She's probably regretting the whole 'shunning me for my powers' thing.

"I'm looking for a new job though." I hear Kaoru drop a spoon in the kitchen. Kasumi looks rather hopeful. "Not going well." Her face falls.

"Are they rejecting you outright?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"Sometimes." I sigh. "Sometimes they do take it, though I imagine they don't even look at my résumé."

"Oh that's terrible. The City and Satellite are one now, you shouldn't be having this problem." There's a sense of frustration in her voice. Though, she's just the same as everyone else.

"Yeah, but that's how things are now." Kaoru comes into the room. He hands me a black coffee, and hands Kasumi some form of a hot drink, before returning with his own green tea.

"You said you worked as a seamstress, right? Would you like to do something similar?"

"I mean, as long as I work in something related to fashion, I'll be happy."

"Fashion?" She furrows her eyebrow and her eyes dart like she's trying to remember something. "Well, hopefully you find something."

"That would be great, honestly." I sip on my coffee. Kasumi stays silent, I try she's still trying to remember something.

"Where are you living now? I think your dad mentioned something about you living by yourself." I freeze. Kasumi's eyes widen, realising that something is wrong.

"Well, after I lost my job, my landlord found out, then kicked me out."

"Geez, that's terrible." She looks to Kaoru in disbelief, he just shrugs his shoulders. I think he's starting to understand the problems I face as a marked person. "Where are you staying now?"

"I'm crashing on my friend's couch, though I'm looking to move out." A kind of shock shows on Kasumi's face.

"Well, you can move in here." I try to suppress a sigh. "Don't you give me that look. Without a job, you can't afford rent anywhere in this City because the price of rent has shot up after we joined with the Satellite."

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Kaoru finally speaks up after being silent for so long. Though, I wish he hadn't.

"Exactly." She nods at Kaoru. "At least stay here until you get a job and you're back on your feet."

"I don't know." I'm still hesitant. I'm not sure how I'll handle being back in this house full-time. Even sitting in this room for however long just brings back so many memories, and bad ones at that.

"I won't charge you a dime." That gets my attention. "I haven't touched your room, you can come and go as you please." She bows her head forward. "I'm sorry for how I treated you in the past. I promise you," she raises her head, "we'll work at it. I promise to be a better mother for you. I promise I won't be so controlling. I won't do all those things that I did wrong the first time." Her voice only becomes more forced, like she can barely form the words anymore. But the emotion is still there.

"Please. Just be my daughter again." Her voice quivers, she's on the edge of tears again. She looks me right in the eyes. A part of me wonders if I'll look more like Kasumi as I get older. Both of them look at me like they expect an answer. Admittedly, it sounds appealing. Living rent-free, able to come and go as I please. But still, Kasumi wants to be my mother. She will never be my mother. She stopped being my mother the minute she let me go. The very second Kyoko Hattori took me in her arms as a newborn. Should I just live the lie? I look at Kasumi's red-violet eyes again. I can't remember the eye colour of my mother, though I imagine it must have been something similar to that. That's what Kasumi wants, to have me as her child. No, that's what she _needs_. That sense of normality. Like no Zero Reverse or adoptions ever separated us. The more I look at Kasumi, the more I see myself. She has my nose. The magenta of my eyes closer to hers than anyone else's. Normality. Isn't that what I want too? Isn't she entitled to that? Just the way I am? What if I was in her place? Would anyone else give me that normality? Then, it strikes me. Yusei, Jack and Crow gave me that. Even though I slept on their couch. There was something so _normal_ about me living there. Almost like it was natural, and it had always been that way. I'm grateful for that, I will _always_ be grateful for that. Maybe I should give back. I received and received these last couple of weeks. Maybe it's time I gave back.

"Okay." My voice is quiet. Kasumi looks at me in shock. Tears start falling down her face. She wipes them away just as quick. She puts down her mug before standing up. She almosts runs over to me. She holds my head into her stomach. Her grip is tight. I exhale. I feel better than I thought I would. A small part, as much I deny it, feels like this is natural, like this is how it should have been. I grip her arm. I don't move it. It's almost as if I'm telling her that I feel the same.

* * *

I stand in Poppo Time staring at everything I own. Admittedly, it's more than I had when I arrived. I've managed to rope Crow into bringing everything over. He does deliveries, I'm merely paying him to do his job.

"I'm paying for this." I said. "That'll fund Jack's coffee spending for a day." I laugh.

"Don't remind me." He shakes his head, throwing the Blackbird Deliveries jacket on.

Now, I just stare at my D-Wheel next to Yusei's. I've gotten used to that view. It seems wrong to tear it apart. Yusei comes down the stairs into the garage with another cup of coffee.

"Crow's gone with your stuff?" He takes a sip.

"Yep, all that's left is my D-Wheel." I try to smile. I hate that I'm leaving. I don't _want_ to leave. But then again, I can't sleep on their couch forever. I can see the same in Yusei's face. I don't think he wants me to leave either.

"We're going to miss you." I look up at him.

"Yeah." I smile, but it's a sad smile. "I mean, who else is going to cook for you three? I suppose you'll be back on the ramen diet by tonight." He laughs.

"I'm being serious."

"I was too. Please try to eat actual food, I don't want to ruin your stomach with all those chemicals." His mouth forms a harsh line. "I'll miss you too." There's a silence between us for a few beats. I sigh. "I better head. Crow's probably wondering where I am." I put my helmet on.

"Yeah." There's hesitation in his voice.

"I'll see you later, right?" I send him a smile.

"Yeah, see you later." He manages a smile. He pats the front of my D-Wheel before I head off. It feels weird leaving Poppo Time. I know I'll be back. I will be back. I just keep saying that to myself. Like I'd left Yusei leave my life again after everything that happened.

* * *

When I arrive at Kasumi's house, I see Kaoru helping Crow take the boxes inside. I park my D-Wheel in the garage, and take the last of my things upstairs. I leave everything in the corner. I'll find a place for everything eventually. Crow rushes out, heading to his next job. Kasumi gives Crow a large tip. I think she feels sorry for him. I'm bad enough with one small mark, I can't imagine what it's like for him with that many large marks all over his face. I throw myself on my double bed. I had forgotten how soft the mattress was. Kaoru still stands in the doorway, he sighs.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I lift my head up slightly to see him.

"You can read my thoughts, remember?" I can hear the roll of his eyes in his voice.

"I told you I don't like intruding on your thoughts." I lower my voice to a whisper. "Doesn't stop you though."

"I heard that."

"You were meant to."

"When is it happening?" He exhales through his nose.

"What?" I act oblivious. He takes that as a sign to close the door. I sit up, leaving room for Kaoru to sit down. He does.

"You said the whole gang thing would be happening after you moved out from Poppo Time."

"Kaoru, I literally finished moving in ten minutes ago."

"I know."

"Are you that excited?" I smirk, knowing how he'll react.

"No I'm not!" He rolls his eyes. "I just want to get this done and over with."

"Soon." I sigh. "It'll happen soon."

"How is it working with the whole Yuudai thing though?"

"I'll be wearing my Yuudai disguise as we do this. That way, no one will know it's me."

"Are you sure?" There's some hesitation in his voice.

"The only other person who knows that I'm secretly Yuudai is Raiden. Shinji doesn't even know, and I want to keep it that way." Kaoru looks uncertain but he doesn't say anything. "We'll be wearing masks. We want to be our identities a secret, so we'll be wearing wigs too." Kaoru seems slightly relieved, but not much. "Don't worry. We've got a strong team. Go in, defeat the boss, next team. Nothing too dangerous or scary." At least I hope. "No one's going to find out our identities."

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this." He furrows his eyebrows.

"You're just a worrywart." I laugh.

"No, I'm realistic. Something is probably going to go wrong, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"We'll be fine. If Team Satisfaction done it before, why can't we do it again?"

"Because we're not Team Satisfaction." He's picked at my memories enough to know who they are. Will he ever give me a moment's peace? "They did it to make the Satellite a better place. You're doing it so you get to leave. Your heart's not in it, this isn't going to work."

My heart's not in it? Of course it is. This is my freedom we're talking about here. Not some arbitrary thing. My freedom, my life, everything. I'm doing to protect everyone. So, I don't drag them into this mess that I made. If my heart isn't in this, then I don't know what is.


	33. A Touch of Madness

I sneak out with Kaoru early in the morning. It's still dark out but we can see our breath fogging up the air under the street lights. We walk as fast as we can to Kenta and Takumi's apartment to avoid the cold. It is the middle of January after all. Kenta opens the door reluctantly. Clearly, he's objecting to being awake this early. Takumi is fresh as a daisy, as usual. I swear that man is such a morning person. It took me three cups of coffee just to _leave_ the house this morning. He doesn't even get hangovers too. He wakes up completely fine the next day. Then again, neither do I _anymore_. I throw the bag containing our disguises beside the couch and sit down. Kaoru remains standing. Kenta quietly leans on the doorframe leading to the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

"Morning everyone." Takumi starts. He's already too upbeat for me. I lean the arm of the couch, closing my eyes. "Hey, don't be falling asleep on me."

"I'm not." I would roll my eyes if they were open.

"Oh." I open my eyes, and look over at Kenta doing the same thing. "Wasn't actually talking to you, but that's good." You think Takumi would stop talking but _no_. "You all know why we're here."

"We all know, it's gang stuff. Get to the point." Thankfully Kenta cuts in.

"Yeah." Takumi doesn't even falter. He's always had a flair for the dramatics. "Today is the first day of our operation. Take over every gang in the City. With all the gangs gone, this City will be a much better place. It will force Security off the streets, so they can leave the Satellites alone."

"Amen." I chant out. Takumi laughs.

"Anyway, our first target is The Jackals." Takumi starts pacing like he normally does while explaining things. It makes him vaguely resemble a villain when he does that. "After the shit that happened with Black Flag, they lost a lot of territory. Aside from Black Flag, they're the smallest gang in terms of area. I've looked into them a bit." He turns sharply. "They're quite big in terms of numbers from what I can see. But there's one problem."

"They're full of psychics." Kenta pipes up. I can still hear the sleep in his voice.

"Apparently, a bunch of Arcadia rejects ran there after the whole thing with the Arcadia Movement. So they're used to attacking under orders."

"Arcadia, huh?" The words spill out of my mouth without me realising it.

"Do you know someone from there?" Takumi turns to me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, the Black Rose Witch. She's a friend of mine."

"You're _friends_ with her?" Takumi's eyes grow wider. I know exactly what he's thinking.

"You actually have friends?" I want to punch Kenta in his smartass little face.

"Shut up. She doesn't want anything to with any of this. Heck, she doesn't even want to talk about Arcadia." I'm leaving Aki out of this. No matter how useful she could be.

"I don't know. Someone like that would definitely be useful." I know what he's doing. He's planting the seed of that idea in my head, hoping that I'll eventually act on it. Nope, not happening this time.

"Continue." Kenta's now standing a bit straighter, still leaning on the doorframe.

"Right." Takumi's eyebrows have furrowed slightly, probably because he's not getting his way. "It'll quite dangerous with all those psychics around. So keep your guard up. We're used to dealing with psychics, but you," he turns to Kaoru, "I don't think you have any experience, you should-"

"I know how to deal with psychics." He's about to keep talking but he's interrupted.

"How?" Kenta frowns, admittedly I'm confused too.

"I've been taught by Anako." I don't remember Kaoru telling me that. Why would Anako teach him that of all things? Unless she knows.

"Senmatsu?" Takumi looks at me.

"That's the one." Takumi continues pacing.

"Anyway, it'll be challenge dealing with so many psychics at once. I advise using your surroundings to your advantage."

"That only really applies to you, Takumi, the rest of us are psychics here." I lean my head back on the sofa. Psychics have a natural advantage against other psychics. Takumi, not being a psychic, is the one at a disadvantage here, not Kaoru. Takumi scowls for a split second, before he returns to his upbeat demeanor. It comes and goes so quick, I don't think anyone else caught it.

"Now, about strategy, it's not my strong point. So suggestions are welcome."

"I say go in guns blazing." I scratch the back of my neck. "I mean, they're probably not going to talk to us, given the amount of Arcadia people running around. So, I say we take them by surprise. It's our best option."

"Kenta." Takumi turns to Kenta. I mean Takumi will always take Kenta's word over everyone else's so I'm not surprised.

"I see no fault with it." Kenta's very cool with his response. Unusual, normally he disagrees with anything that comes out of my mouth.

"Right, that's settled." Takumi doesn't ask Kaoru for his opinion. Despite being new to this, he's a part of this team as much as anyone.

"When are we heading?" I ask nonchalantly. I can hear Kaoru wanting to ask in my head. He's not saying anything at all. I know he's nervous, but they're not going to bite his head off.

"I'd like to get this done and over with." Kenta starts. "As soon as everyone is ready, is what I'd like to say."

"Okay fine." Takumi heads into the kitchen to get one last coffee. "Yuuka, Kaoru, coffee?"

"Yep." I say taking the bag into the bathroom so I can bind.

"Have you got any tea?" Kaoru asks, more nervous than usual.

"Yeah, we only got black tea though, cause Shinji drinks it for some reason." I can hear Takumi's eyes rolling in his voice. I mean I agree with him, tea is just disgusting leaf water.

I take off my hoodie and t-shirt and start pulling ace bandages across my chest. I try to tighten the bandages on the exhale, so it's not too tight. I clip the bandage in place, and pat my chest. I turn to the side in the mirror. Yeah, looks decently flat. I throw the shirt and hoodie back on. I suppose that looks masculine enough to pass. I pull on the toggles of my dark green hoodie until they match. Walking back out, I throw the bag back next to the couch. Takumi hands us our mugs, and I take my seat back on the couch. Kenta has also sat down, but on the opposite end, naturally. Kaoru hasn't moved an inch. Takumi stands somewhere in both of our lines of vision, but closer to Kaoru.

"Are you nervous, huh?" Takumi asks him.

"Yeah." Kaoru holds his mug like he's relying on it for warmth. "I've never had anything to do with gangs before."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone starts somewhere. You have us with you, you'll be fine." I can see Kenta sulking in the corner of my eye. "Your sister is good at this sort of thing. You can hear her thoughts right? She'll help you. We're all here you, mate."

"It's true." I say before I down what's left of my coffee. I can feel Kenta staring at me, silently judging me. "Right, I'm ready to go." I stand up. Kenta follows suit. Takumi kicks himself off the wall, taking our mugs, and goes into the kitchen, leaving them in the sink. He looks around the sitting room.

"Everyone ready to go?" He cocks his head and grins. Clearly, some form of adrenaline already in his veins. We nod and move out.

* * *

We hide in an alleyway to put on our wigs and masks. There's an unbearable silence. Nobody has said anything for a while. It's starting to get worrying. This means Takumi has started to panic. We've come this far, I suppose we can't turn away now. I stare at my mask, I haven't looked at it in months. Red elongated teardrop shapes coming out from the eyes on a dainty white background.

"Sasaki." Kaoru and I both turn to Kenta. "Uh, that one." He gestures to me, I nod. "Do you feel that?" He gestures down one of the alleyways in the direction of the Jackal's base.

"No, why?"

"It's just that," he shakes his head, "the auras. They're so many of them. It's almost distracting." Could that be a sign of vulnerability from Kenta? Geez, haven't seen that before.

"Hmm, it's probably to do with my powers not working like they're supposed to." My voice sounds muffled in the mask.

"Your powers _still_ aren't working?" Takumi turns to me. "You should have told me this _before_ all of this." I can tell he's pissed off.

"It's not a big deal, it's just the aura stuff. Everything else is working fine, I'll assure you." Takumi ignores what I say. I sigh. Takumi pats Kaoru on the back in an attempt to cheer him up. Kaoru jumps, clearly he had been lost in his own thoughts. I can tell Kaoru's staring at me. I block him out of my mind. I can't deal with him at the moment.

In that moment, I could sworn I was in the Satellite. There's something about these alleyways that reminds me of home. Stranger still, we've basically formed a _Neo Team Satisfaction_. Maybe it's that. I'm getting a shot at this unifying territory thing, considering the guys didn't let me have a crack at it last time. What would they think of this, I wonder. Not good things, I imagine. They're still protective of me. Honestly, while I understand why, I wish they'd just realise that I've grown up and I can take care of myself now. Am I actually rebelling against them? Is this really what this whole gang thing is about? It honestly wouldn't surprise me. I push that thought to the back of my head. I have more important things to focus on. I start breathing deeply. I focus on my powers, I can feel them fluctuate along with my breath. I feel auras a good while away. There's so many of them that I can't isolate one in particular. Is that what Kenta meant? Now that I found them, I can't help _but_ fixate on them. Definitely.

"I feel the auras now." Once I've said it, I realise that I've cutted off Takumi and Kaoru talking.

"Distracting, aren't they?" Kenta stares off in the direction of the auras. "The question is whether or not they know we're coming."

"They know that Team Liberation will come for them eventually." Takumi looms over us all. He's not quite as tall as Jack, or even as broad. But there's something about him that intimidates you. His mere presence is enough.

"Team Liberation?" Kenta asks.

"Yeah, that's what we're called." Takumi puts his hands on his hips like he's proud of himself.

"Honestly, that's a stupid name." Kenta's words mirror my thoughts exactly.

"I'm the leader here, I get to choose the name." Takumi loses that upbeat tone in his voice.

"Thank the gods you didn't found the Onyx Slicers." Kenta mutters to himself. Judging by the fact that Takumi didn't say anything, I don't think he heard it.

"You two," Kenta points to me and Kaoru, "I want you to head straight for the boss. Takumi and I will take care of the rest." I nod. Since I'm the fastest out of everyone here, I'm more likely to reach the boss without getting caught first. Kenta runs over some basics tips for Kaoru one last time. I admit I listen in. I haven't been in this sort of situation in months, I fear my muscles have forgotten everything. I don't want to run in there and have my mind blank on me.

* * *

I'm squatting in the fire escape of the abandoned apartment building with Takumi. I try glancing in the window, I don't see anyone. I can tell people are on the other side of the door. I'll have to be careful going in so I'm not cornered in the room. I'll wait for the signal from Kaoru and Kenta. They're taking a more direct route into the building. They'll distract the people on this floor long enough that I can get in. It's strange for a gang to use an apartment building here. Normally, people head straight to warehouses for that sort of thing. I suspect there's been a recent change of base, considering all of the territory wars going on lately.

_Okay, we're going in._ I hear Kaoru's voice in my head. I feel a shift in all of the auras in the building. One aura stays at the door, clearly sensing my presence. I gesture to Takumi to climb into the window. I stay just inside the window. I try and figure out the best way to get out into the hallway. Eventually, I decide to break down the door with my body. The guy guarding the door manages to jump out of the way and towards me. He's gotten too close to me for me to kick him, so I decide on my elbow instead. He gets thrown back into the wall. I can almost hear the pain as he hits the wall. He's unconscious. That was easy. Takumi drags me towards the mass of psychics downstairs.

Despite the fact I'm in a room full of psychics, I become a fast-moving ball of mass, throwing out a flurry of kicks and punches. Dodge there. Punch there. Another one down. Roundhouse kick there. I can feel the adrenaline starting to pump in my veins, I try my hardest to suppress it. Another dodge. Something catches me in the waist. Blood starts to drip. Before it even starts to flow, I can feel it healing. I can sense Kaoru and Kenta on the floor below. The narrow corridors of this building give me the advantage. Meaning I don't have to deal with too many people at once. I start moving backwards. The boss will be upstairs. I just have to wait on Kaoru. The floor suddenly feels cold underneath me. The people in front of me slip. They try to take my legs out from under me. I shift my weight, landing a kick square in their face. And a second. Kenta must have his monsters out already. I can feel the unease from Takumi beside me. He mustn't be used to the ice. I move back slightly, when I feel Kaoru and Kenta approaching. I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear the elevator crash down into the basement. Someone takes this opportunity to aim a punch at my head. I catch their hand, twist their arm and knee them in the abdomen. Another one out. They keep coming, so many of them. Each preparing their duel disk. No one pulls out a card. There's too many people here to pull off something like that. I fall into the natural habit of dodging and kicking. My mind starts to zone out like it always does. I've become so accustomed to the violence, that my muscles already know what to do. Shards of ice fly into the corridor. Most manage to duck it, but some fall to floor. Kaoru runs around the unconscious bodies on the floor to me, he grabs my arms and pulls me towards the stairs. A hook fly towards me, grabbing my duel disk. I try pulling myself away from it. Then I realise what it is. Team Satisfaction. It's the hooks they used to force duels, and the loser's duel disk would get destroyed. Another hook grabs my duel disk, and another. I push Kaoru into the stairwell.

"Go on without me!" I scream after him. He's scared but he nods. Takumi follows him. I take a deep breath and face the duelists before me. Kenta seems to be handling the rest of the crowd. A lance made of ice strikes a wall, creating another hole in it. It's probably gonna collapse soon. I activate my duel disk and draw my hand. I try to start but the Arcadia scum beats me to it. I know he's Arcadia, I can tell that by looking at him. He literally runs a Psychic deck, typical. The next one moves, and the other after that. As per Battle Royale rules, I don't draw on my first turn. Somehow, almost like fate is on my side, I manage to Synchro Summon on my first turn. Using Obedience Schooled, I'm able to Special Summon two monsters and tuner. I recognise it as the card that let me win against Raiden. How funny that it's in my starting hand now. As per the rules again, I can't attack, dragging this duel out for longer than it needs to.

I hear another crash upstairs, the building shakes. I fall onto my knees. The Fabled Kudabbi moves towards me and arches its head forward. I use its horns to hoist myself up. Kaoru's put a hole in an outside wall. I can hear his thoughts clearly now. Takumi's taking on the leader. Kaoru's impressed with his skills. I ask him who he's facing. He thinks it's the right-hand man. Ice still lingers on the ground. I feel a sudden sharp pain in my waist and I nearly fall again. Kudabbi catches me. The guys start their turns again. One of them manages to Synchro Summon, but it matches Kudabbi in attack points so he does nothing. A X-Saber monster, the name doesn't even register in my brain. That's enough for me to survive this round. As soon as I'm steady on my feet, I'm hit by an attack from behind my opponents. My waist burns and it begins to spread. Before I'm hit by another attack, Kudabbi tackles me through a door into an empty apartment. The hooks on my duel disks pulls my opponents into the wall. I can hear them slam, I can also feel their pain. Kenta shouts out for me. I scream back that I'm okay. I shakily get back onto my feet, Kudabbi helping me. My turn again. I send Kudabbi the monster with the lowest attack points, taking out a good chunk of the guy's life points. I lean on the wall. The guys I'm facing aren't in a good state either. They're getting hit by Kenta's attack too. As soon as the first guy draws, my building starts shaking and I hear a dragon roar. Kudabbi tackles me back. The ceiling caves in, rubble separating me and my opponents. Light End Dragon's head slides through the hole. Kaoru holds onto its head and jumps off onto the rubble.

"Your leader has been defeated. Surrender now." His voice is stern. I blink to make sure that I'm not actually looking at Takumi. Light End Dragon slides around the room. It looks me in the eyes and I shudder. It stops and roars at my opponents. Light End Dragon. I look back at Kaoru. For a second, I swear that I'm looking at Raiden and Dark End Dragon. I start hyperventilating and begin to slide to sit on the floor. I have to will myself not to take my mask off. They surrender, their hooks clamping and breaking their duel disks. I manage to pull on the rope still attached to mine. I hold the hooks in my hand. These will come in handy. Though, how did they get here? I've only seen these in the Satellite, used by Team Satisfaction. Kenta slumps on a wall, panting. Takumi appears with the gang leader on the edge of the hole in the ceiling. I recognise him from somewhere, probably a psychic bar. Takumi leaps onto the pile of rubble, the leader following him. I can feel someone staring at me. Someone upstairs, looking down through the hole. Clothes torn, he stares at me with hate in his eyes. He turns away in anger, it sounds like he kicks something. I don't listen to the chatter around me. I stare at Kaoru, trying to push the image of Raiden from my head. Takumi practically grabs me by the armpit in an attempt to get me to stand up. The gang leader shakes my head. He jumps slightly when he looks at the blood that transferred onto his hand from my glove. I look over to Kenta, he stares back at me. I can't see his face behind the mask, but I can tell he's not happy. It's a small victory in the scale of things, but he could at least _not_ be like this.

People start to leave. Some linger by the unconscious people on the floor, trying to wake them up. Some of them wake on their own. Others have already woken and left. I take a deep breath. I focus on every cut, every bruise on my body. I sit down again, too weak to stand. Everything starts to slowly heal. Kaoru sits down beside me in a heap.

"Just focus on your cuts." I manage to get out. He looks at me, he didn't think I was awake. "We'll find out if you have accelerated healing."

"Oh, alright." I spot a nasty gash on his waist. It's not bleeding that much, but it's still red. "I think this one's healing already." He picks to said gash.

"That's good." It's the same spot that I felt pain in earlier, strange.

Takumi keeps talking to that leader. Probably sorting out everything. He's lucky really. He doesn't have to deal with the fatigue that comes with using your powers. I'm really out of shape if I'm this bad. Though my fatigue always seems to be worse than everyone else's. I actually have get Takumi to help me up in the end. Kenta stares at me still. What is going through that foul mind of his? Probably how much he hates me and resents my existence. I'm sure that's all he thinks about anyway. I'm too tired for this small victory to settle in. Takumi's smiling behind the mask, I can hear it in his voice. I done the least work out of everyone here. I couldn't even finish a simple duel. Still, I'm the worst out of everyone here. I can barely stand, yet alone walk.

It's a silent walk back to Takumi and Kenta's apartment. I feel Kenta's eyes on me. I manage to walk in front of him. We've taken off the masks and wigs, but I still can't bear to meet his eyes. I know he's not happy with me. I'm a disgrace, I'm a burden. I can't carry my own weight. I linger in their bathroom for a while, staring at my own reflection. Nothing has sunk in. I can barely remember what happened. My bags under my eyes are only more pronounced. I can't help but wonder what will come next. There's an endless sense of waiting, and every sign points to Raiden.


	34. Secrets

It's a few days before I can bear to show my face in Poppo Time garage. Just long enough that my injuries from the battle with the Jackals have faded away. I refuse to take off my jacket, there's still a faint outline of some scars on my arm. Try not to arouse suspicion. That's my one job. I don't want other people getting involved in this.

Kaoru actually joins me when I head to Poppo Time. Emiko was busy, he said. I notice the lack of the Yusei Go when I enter the garage. It's quite early so there's no other visitors. I find Jack and Crow, sans uniform, in the kitchen.

"Yusei gone to get parts again?" I ask as Crow fill the kettle.

"Yep, he should be back soon. Coffee?" He asks Kaoru and I, while filling the kettle. I, of course, agree, while Kaoru asks for tea, as normal. Crow talks about the workload he had the day before, apparently business was picking up despite it being the middle of January. Considering it's neither Christmas nor Valentine's Day, it's quite strange.

All of a sudden, I feel like I'm forgetting something. I didn't leave the oven on, or an iron. I didn't leave the sink running, or leave any lights on. Y'know, the typical things you'd forget.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something." I stare into my coffee, as if that would help.

"I can't think of anything." Kaoru says. He would know, with him insisting to never leave me alone.

"As weird as it sounds, it's the strongest when I look at Crow's face." I get confused looks from everyone in the room.

"Did you forget to say something to him?" Kaoru pipes up.

"No, it's more like I forget _something_ , it's something I did or I said." I sigh.

"When was the last time you saw Crow before you came over for lunch before your accident?" I know what Jack is referring to _then_."You said there was a gap in your memory." Not to Jack anyway. Yusei must have told him.

"Oh then?" Kaoru nods, moving his hand in front of his mouth.

"I keep forgetting you know about that." Crow remarks. "Then again, I keep forgetting that you two are telepaths." I was looking at Crow. It was after my duel ended, before I died. I said something to Yusei. It's what makes him act really weird sometimes. What could I have said?

"Just imagine you told him you loved him or something." Kaoru laughs. I start to laugh nervously, dreading the idea of it. Then, it hits me. Kaoru's face freezes, realising how right he is. It's a blur, but I put my coffee cup on the counter and proceed to slowly lower myself to the floor.

"Is she okay?" Crow asks, hesitant.

"No." I can hear the uncertainty in Kaoru's voice. Everything fades out, as I continue in a downward spiral of thoughts. It makes so much sense. I looked at Crow to avoid looking at Yusei while I said it. Yusei acting weird around me whenever that time gets brought up. That indescribable look in his eye.

"I told you." Jack says, like he predicted everything.

"Excuse me, I'm the one who's been saying it for years." I can almost hear the pointed look in Crow's voice. "Should we help her up?" I can tell Crow's eyes are on me.

"Leave her there." I guess Kaoru is shrugging his shoulders, judging by his tone. Crow steps over me on his way down to the couch.

* * *

Eventually, I sit up. Kaoru's nagging at me in my head. Nobody brings up what caused me to have a slightly mental breakdown.

_Jack and Crow made a bet._ I almost want to hide my face in my hands, despite the fact I'm holding a cup of cold coffee in my hands. _It's about how soon Yusei and you become a couple._ I nearly spit out said coffee. I get glances from Jack and Crow, probably waiting on another breakdown. Then, they realise it's probably the telepathy thing.

The one day I show up happens to be the day that Shinji pops in for a visit. Strange. He claims to just be _popping in_ for a chat. Reika's in work, while he's off. That time is usually spent with me, but since I actually talk to other people beside him now, he's found other people.

"You know that Yuudai kid you put in charge of Black Flag?" He randomly says this out of the blue, as I sip coffee number gods know how many. I'm starting to think this isn't a coincidence. "Apparently, he's gone taking over all of the gangs in the City. Takumi told me he took out the Jackals the other day. They're calling themselves Team Liberation." I sip my coffee, trying to hide any sign of emotion.

"Oh yeah, he mentioned something like that. I'm just letting him do his own thing, it's none of my business anymore."

"I still can't believe Raiden just pissed off like that and left you in charge, knowing you had wanted to leave." Crow frowns.

"He's like that." I raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders. I'm used to such moves from him. I hear Aki exhale from her nostrils.

"He done some serious damage to you." She speaks up. She looks away like she's speaking her innermost thoughts. Thoughts that have been swimming around in her head for a while. "He was really trying to hurt you, wasn't he?" Gazes are split between Aki and I. It's silent.

"He was." She doesn't need to say more. Aki knows from experience. She knows far too well what a psychic can do if they're pushed far enough. The conversation moves on, whether it's for Aki's sake or mine, I don't know.

* * *

I manage to catch Aki alone later, just before she leaves. I offer to walk her home, at least for a little bit. She shivers and tries to hide in her scarf. I take off my coat and offer to her, she drapes it around her shoulders.

"Are those scars?" She stares at my bare arms.

"Yeah, still haven't quite gone away yet." She narrows her eyes ever so slightly that I barely notice. I raise my eyebrows, Aki shakes her head and keeps looking forward. Has she figured something out? She couldn't have, but there was revelation on her face. "Are you doing okay?" She sighs deeply.

"It's just that talking about Raiden earlier made me think about Divine." Her eyebrow furrows and she looks away.

"I told you, don't be afraid of his memory." Aki bites her lip. "As much as the things he did were horrible, he was a part of your life and you need to recognise that." She nods.

"I know that, but a part of me is terrified." I turn to look at her. "After everyone reappeared, we couldn't find him. I'm scared that, one day, he's going to show up. I don't know what I'd do. Would I go back to the way I was? Or something else entirely?" She becomes quiet as she loses herself in the thoughts swirling around in her head.

"I'm in the same boat." I pout. "I suppose all we could do is show them how far we've come and that we won't be going back. It's all we can do really." She nods, but stays quiet.

"Aren't you cold?" She asks after some silence.

"Not really," I shrug my shoulders, "the cold's never really bothered me." It's true, I've been out on a cold winter's day in just a dress. It confuses people, I think living in the Satellite stopped me feeling the cold. Aki nods again, probably thinking the same.

"Can you not tell anyone that I said that?" I look at her, she refuses to meet my eyes.

"Tell anyone what?"

"About Divine. I'm afraid what everyone will think if they knew I still think about Divine a lot more than I should. They'd probably think I'm still the Witch deep down and abandon me." There's genuine fear in her eyes.

"I know what you mean." I feel the emotions I'm trying to suppress rising up. "Don't be afraid. They love you and accept you for you, they wouldn't do that. Maybe the Witch is still a part of you, just like that Dark Signer part of me will always be there." Aki's eyes dart to me. I'm still playing the part of having forgotten what happened. She thought that I don't remember. "You can't change you, so you keep going."

"You remember what happened?" Her voice is quiet.

"It's why I can never sleep. I can't get to sleep because I keep thinking of Raiden, and I can't stay asleep because I keep having dreams about that time." I sigh. "People will find out eventually. All you can really do is accept that this is the state you're in and try to get better. They won't abandon you, I know that much." I remember Yusei calming me down after one of my dreams. We've come so far, I doubt he could let me go now.

"I see." Aki stays quiet. Her aura is so soft and delicate, almost like a gentle piano melody, but I can still feel the gears turning in her mind. We stay quiet, enjoying the relative silence that only a winter's night can bring.

I end up walking Aki to her door. She hands me my jacket back and I quickly throw it on, not admitting that I was starting to get cold.

"Thank you." She smiles, I open my mouth to reply but she beats me to it. "For everything." I smile, realising what she means.

"That's what friends are for." She seems taken aback by me calling us friends.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She seems almost giddy by the prospect. "Night."

* * *

Thankfully, Aki's house isn't that far from my own. I guess that's what happens when you live in the rich suburbs. Even though, where I'm staying is nowhere the size of Aki's mansion. Kaoru's not home by the time I get in the door. Kasumi jumps up off the sofa, once the door closes behind me.

"Welcome home, honey." I take my boots off. I keep my jacket on, hiding the scars on my arms. "I was doing some spring cleaning today and-"

"I don't really count January as spring." Kasumi scoffs and waves her hand.

"There's no harm in starting early. Anyway," her tones changes, "I found this." She holds up a pink choker. I look at the choker, and then back up to Kasumi's face. She holds the same smile, expecting me to realise the significance of the choker. I blink a few times, waiting for her to continue. "You don't know what this is?" I shake my head and she pouts. "It was a gift to me from Kyoko." A gift from my mother. It feels me with a strange feeling. I suppose with it being one of the last things tied to her on this Earth. "Chokers were never really my thing, so I was thinking…" Her pitch changes a little bit, I catch on to what she means. She giggles, I imagine I must look like a deer in headlights. "Turn around, turn around." I pull up my ponytail, letting Kasumi put the choker around my neck and close it in the back. I turn around back to her. Her mouth forms a small _o_ shape. A look of nostalgia spreads across her face. "I-it's looks great. It goes well with your eyes."

"Thank you." It's all I can manage to get out. I press my fingertips to the choker. A small gesture, but in a way, I feel a lot closer to my mother.

"Do you want me to put on dinner?" Kasumi starts heading into the kitchen.

"Are we not waiting for Kaoru to get home?" Just as I finish saying that, the door opens behind me.

"You called?" Kaoru pokes his head in the door, waiting for me to move out of the way so he can get it in.

"Okay, I'm just gonna put the dinner on." Kasumi rolls her eyes and vanishes into the kitchen.

"That's cool." I say. Kaoru gestures upstairs, he seems quite serious. I nod, and head upstairs. Kaoru sits on the chair by my sewing machine, I cross my legs while sitting on the bed.

"I was talking to Kenta." I sigh.

"I figured."

"What? How did you know?" Kaoru's wide-eyed.

"He seemed very _unhappy_ with me the last time we see each other." Kaoru nods, catching my drift. "Lemme guess, strategy?"

"Yeah, he's seems pretty pissed. I mean, we were in an awful state after that." That is true. I pull up my sleeves and look at my arms. There seems to be an improvement in the scars, they're healing at least. "He thinks we should go for the more diplomatic approach." I lie back on the bed.

"Seems fair. Though that's not my strong suit." I pout. "Takumi can take care of that, he's good at that kinda thing."

"Is that necklace new?" Kaoru asks.

"Yeah, it was a gift from my mother to Kasumi apparently."

"Okay." That's all he says.

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

"Don't." I laugh, Kaoru doesn't want me bringing up the subject. He hasn't said anything out loud, but I know.

"Normally, you'd compliment a girl on something new." I smirk.

"Okay, I'm going. Bye." He closes the door behind him.

"See you at dinner." I call after him. I hear Kaoru's door close. I turn onto my side and sigh.

Yusei knows that I love him. I wouldn't have said that before everything happened. But staying at Poppo Time made me realise it. Getting to look at him everyday, hearing his voice everyday. Having coffee with him, seeing him smile. Daily reminders that I'm hopelessly in love with Yusei Fudo. It's only a matter of time, I keep thinking to myself. Before he says something, before my little bubble of bliss bursts. It's only a matter of time.


	35. Knight Takes Rook

We skip the pleasantries this time and meet in a secluded alleyway. We arrive before Takumi and Kenta. We silently put our masks and wigs on. The slightly delay between Kaoru putting his wig and mask on. Seeing him with dark brown hair is strange. Though I assume it's the same for me, given our skin tone is practically identical.

"I'm really curious." Kaoru pipes up. "If this is just a discussion, why are we coming along?"

"In case, things so sour. You know, they invite us in for a pleasant conversation, but then we're suddenly surrounded, it's not a good time." I shrug my shoulders. I wouldn't doubt that a gang leader could stoop that low.

"That would suck." I sigh.

"That would be an understatement." Takumi interrupts us. My thoughts exactly, I think. Takumi and Kenta move their masks so that we can see their faces, I do the same, with Kaoru following suit.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to wake up early for this." I roll my eyes. An action that is entirely pointless, due to the fact that I'm wearing a mask.

"You're awake at the crack of dawn, what are you talking about?" Kaoru turns his head to face me.

"Waking up and getting up are two entirely different things, my friend."

"Yeah, the latter involves a lot more coffee." I can hear the deadpan in Kenta's voice. Judging by that, he probably had to get up for this.

"See, Kenta is a man who knows what he's talking about." I'm making up for the lack of facial expression in arm movements. Kenta tilts his head slightly, almost confused by my words. Okay, just because we're not exactly on the best of terms doesn't mean I can't speak the truth.

"Gods, I'm half tempted to do a shot right now." Takumi exhales loudly behind his mask.

"If you pay, I will too." I answer back.

I feel wefts of Kenta's aura. Like small parts breaking off from his unreadable aura. It's dark, there's introspection. I can never tell what he's thinking. Dark, dangerous thoughts. He's scheming, but what could he be planning?

"Right, everyone just follow my lead. Just do as I say." Takumi starts. "This isn't the usual way we do things. It's a lot less violent, so it will be better in the long run. Let's go."

Takumi lingers as Kenta and Kaoru walk forward. He grabs my arm as I start to walk forward. From the corner of my eye, I see Kenta's pace slow.

"I need you to do something for me." He speaks in hushed tones. I glance at Kenta. He's stopped. I feel pain radiating from him. I turn my head towards Takumi. "I want you to take charge here." I don't say anything. I think he expects me to say something. "I want you to be the face for our movement. This City is going through some big changes. We're going to uproot this entire City and turn it on its head. Takumi's hand doesn't move from my arm. "You're the only one who can lead. You're the only one who can do this. You, a marked psychic, are going to be change that this City needs." He moves his hands to my face, holding it in place. "This City has its eyes on you. You've got to step up and lead." He moves away. "Let's go." I look back at Kenta, who still stands there, staring at us. I can still feel the pain, it almost feels like betrayal. He's not looking at me, I realise. He's staring at Takumi. I look back at Takumi, then to Kenta. So many things run through my head. So many reasons. Kaoru looks back and realise that none of us are walking. I'm the first to start walking again, Kenta follows me, with Takumi trailing behind.

* * *

When we arrive at the door of the hideout, two burly guys block me from entering. Takumi quickly steps in, releasing the tension somewhat.

"This is the Red Serpents, right? We're Team Liberation. You probably heard about us from your boss?" I'm starting to wonder why Takumi left me in charge of diplomacy when clearly that's his strong suit. The men say nothing and let us in. One of the men leads to an office upstairs. A man sits alone at a desk in the centre of the room. He ruffles his hair. This mop of curly golden hair is what sticks out to me immediately. His aura is what hits me next, another psychic.

"Tate, I assume?" He speaks in an accent I don't recognise, European I assume. Takumi walks up and shakes his hand.

"I'm the second, this is Yuudai." He gestures back towards me. I walk forward and shakes his head.

"Felix." He says. His eyes, a vivid shade of green, dart across my mask. Trying to read me, he probably can sense my aura. I nod. "Sit down." He points to a seat opposite his at the desk. I look at Takumi, wondering what he should do given the fact that there's only one seat and I ain't doing this alone.

"Eh-" I go to ask Felix for another chair, but he cuts me off.

"Saoirse."

I look over to the corner, where Felix's head points. A girl with long dark hair stands in the corner. Her eyes meet mine and my arm immediately grasps my right arm. It sears, I can almost feel the mark that was once there. I know it's not. I look at Saoirse, she's grabbing her right arm too. I catch her eye and I freeze. There's something to her eyes, almost like I know everything about her. Her eyes tell me the exact same thing. Her aura. It's strange, it almost feels inhuman. More like a magic haze than a psychic aura. In that moment, I wonder if auras just don't come from psychics but a whole different set of people entirely. Saoirse brings in another chair from the room we just came from. Takumi sits down beside me. Saoirse stays in the corner, standing still.

"She's my second." Felix gestures towards Saoirse, she nods at me. I press my mask up at my cheekbones, forcing it to stay in place. I nod back. Kenta and Kaoru stay on the opposite wall. I sense several people on the other side of the doors. Probably in case something goes wrong, they are outnumbered four to two in here. I look at Felix again. He's not gang material. I can tell that by looking at him. He looks like he belongs in a lab, not chain smoking in some dilapidated building. Despite the cheekbones and strong jaw, he still has a look of innocence about him. Something a gang leader will lose quite quickly. I suspect that's why Takumi suggested a friendlier way to do this. He nods at me slowly from the corner of my eye.

"I assume you know why we're here." I start. My hands start shaking. I loosely cross my legs and hide my shaking hands in the gap.

"I do." Felix crosses his legs too. "Team Liberation. Dedicated to freeing this City from gangs. Something like that right?" He looks at me almost like he can see right through my mask.

"About that-"

"You're here to convince me to give up my territory to further your cause, am I right?"

"Yes but-"

"You need to convince me of the upsides of doing that. Can you do that?" He leans forward, almost challenging me.

"If you stopped interrupting me, I might." The words slip easily from my lips. His eyes widen. He sits back in his chair. I, all of a sudden, feel calm. Kenta. He's trying to calm me using his powers. Admittedly, it's going to be helpful. I need to keep calm during all of this or else we'll all get attacked and forced out, territory gone.

"Go ahead." His eyes have softened. I'm curious, is Kenta calming Felix too?

"This City is admittedly a wreck. An utopia that is nothing like it claims to be. Honestly, the unification with the Satellite has only caused more problems. Mass immigration, property prices soaring, huge rise in unemployment, you know the rest. Not only that, the gang scene has only become more violent with everyone from the Satellite and Arcadia joining in." He nods, he knows what I'm talking about. "Wouldn't it be great if we gave the City one less problem to worry about?" I tilt my head.

"I mean, you are right in what you're saying." A small smile breaks out on my face despite the mask covering it. "But, don't you think you're going about this the wrong way?" My face falls. He leans back in the chair. "Take over gangs aggressively, you're asking for a revenge kill. Do it the nice way," he throws his hands up, "no guarantee that I'll keep my promise.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." His eyes snap open and rest on my mask. "There's only two guaranteed things in this life." I lean forward. "Taxes and death."

"I suppose that's true." He shrugs his shoulders, moving to sit up normally. "But will you get your end goal?"

"I believe in my goal, it will come through."

"But do you believe in yourself?" I don't say anything. "That's the key to success, you know?"

"I believe in my abilities."

"Lemme guess, moderately strong at materialising monsters and some aura reading."

"You're correct, and the same for you?"

"Not far off." He raises an eyebrow. "You've got a very strong aura for someone who describes their power as moderate."

"I've been told. I'm starting to think that aura doesn't exactly correlate to psychic powers." Felix's eyebrows furrow.

"Interesting concept." He looks to Saoirse, still in the corner. "I'm thinking the same, doesn't duel you see." I nod, we share the same thoughts. He sighs.

"You get to leave gangs behind you, you know?" I break him out of his thoughts.

"This gang isn't mine to leave." He sighs again. "I'm only here cause my brother can't be, some rare lung disease."

"I'm sorry." I say it because I know what that's like. I press memories of my mother to the back of my mind.

"Don't apologise. I'm going to find a cure." He says the last part softly.

"Is it because you're a labrat? I reckon you can do it." He turns his head back to me in surprise. His eyes widen before softening. Silence hangs in the air for a while.

"I am." His shoulders shake slightly like he's laughing. "I can't imagine he'll take me disbanding Red Serpents nicely." There's an amused tone to his voice. "How will you deal with other gangs? You know, drugs, stolen D-Wheels, the whole lot." I tempted to turn to Takumi. But he's no help, he looks at me expecting something, anything.

"Let them what they want. That stuff can happen with or without gangs." Felix raises his eyebrows again.

"You don't know how to run a gang, do you?" I move to speak. "It's okay, neither do I." He interlocks his fingers and places them on his lap.

"I mostly deal in territory wars, diplomacy isn't exactly my strong suit."

"You're not as bad as you think."

"Thank you."

"Give me a real reason." He says it with a urgency.

"What?"

"A real reason to close this whole thing. You come in, telling me to abandon my position, for what? To make my life easier? Make things better in the City?" His gaze suddenly becomes heated. "How do I know your intentions are right? That you're not going around claiming to be doing good when you're really claiming territory for yourself? Answer me that."

"Well," I sigh, "I come from the Satellite myself. My first experience with gangs was Team Satisfaction." Should I really be telling him this? Would it give away who I am? No. I wasn't technically a part of Team Satisfaction. Nobody knows that I was connected to them. "Their goal was to unite the Satellite, getting rid of gangs. They thought they would always be stuck in the Satellite. So they thought would make the best out of what they had. That's always resonated with me. This City isn't perfect, and it will probably never be. I want to make this City the best it can be. That means no gangs. No more needless violence, no cycles of revenge. Can't you see? It's the only way this City can move on."

Felix stays silent. His eyes rest solely on my mask. Something twinkles in his eyes. Something stirs deep down inside him. Have I gotten through to him? I can only hope. I opened up about Team Satisfaction. Something I haven't really told anyone in the City. It's something that could end up ruining me. If people figure out who I am, this could end badly.

"I've heard of Team Satisfaction." Felix speaks suddenly. The look on his face makes me think he didn't mean to say it outloud. He holds his hand out for me over the table. I look back up at his face. Takumi turns to look at me. I take his hand and shake it. "Congratulations." His voice is soft.

"Thank you." I smile behind my mask. "I mean it."

"Thank you Felix." Takumi speaks up. "All we ask is you disband the Red Serpents. Anything other business you have connected to this gang can continue."

"You're welcome Tate." I'm confused for a second, but then I remember it's Takumi's undercover name. "Don't worry, I'm on your side." Felix turns and smiles at me.

* * *

We smooth over some of the details before leaving. We walk slowly with smiles on our faces. Doing this the peaceful way feels a lot better than I thought it would.

Eventually, Kenta sighs and pulls at the neck of his turtleneck. "It must nice being pale enough that you can afford to not cover every square inch of skin." That's true, Kenta is a few shades darker than most people in this City. I shrug my shoulders. Kenta freezes and stares at me. Then it hits me. I stare back at Kenta. My breathing starts to quicken and chest tightens. Any sense of calmness, joy or whatever I was feeling before, gone. I just want to run, and keep running. It's _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to EibonVirgo and everything she's ever written. Best author, 10/10 would recommend.


	36. Talk Less

It's _him_. Any sense of composure. Any sense of happiness. Gone. I run. I keep running. My breath catches in my chest, but still, I run. I pick a card out from my deck, ready. No, it's not just him. He's not alone. I still keep running. There's footsteps behind me. I don't know who it is, I don't look back. There's a bright flash and I'm on my knees. My knees burn from sliding on the ground. I don't get hit by the blast. I open my eyes. Trishula's icy wings spread out, protecting us from the blast. I stare at the card still in my hand. I look at my duel disk. How is Trishula here? Is this Kenta's Trishula? Light End Dragon is to my right, as well as Kaoru. Kenta and Takumi aren't in sight. This is my Trishula. It came without me using my Duel Disk. I turn to make sure he's okay.

Yusei stares right back at me. He's shaken, you can't see it on his face, but I can see it in his eyes. Aki's more visibly shaken. Her arms twitch every so slightly. Yusei goes to speak, but I stand up and look around for the attackers. No trace of them. The sight of Trishula and Light End probably scared them off.

"You're Yuudai, I assume?" Yusei asks. I had almost forgotten that I had my mask on.

"That's me alright." I put an effort into deepening my voice. The simple muffling of the mask won't be enough to fool Yusei. "It would be wise to stay out of these parts, Fudo. There's trouble stirring up in these parts nowadays."

"And you're the one causing it, aren't you?" Aki pipes up.

"That trouble started long before me, honey." Aki's gaze lingers on me. I can feel her eyes boring into me. She's analysing every part of me. What does she know? More importantly, what has she figured out? "I'd recommend getting out of these parts." I move closer to Yusei. "This is my turf now." I move again, I'm practically less than a meter away from him now. "It was nice meeting you, but I wouldn't recommend getting involved here."

"I wasn't planning to." There's a weight to his words. A doubt lingers inside me. He couldn't possibly know it's me. There's no way. I've been careful, I've left no clues. Yusei and Aki walk away from the direction of the attack. I stand there for a few minutes afterwards, waiting for any follow-up attack.

_No one's coming._ I hear Kaoru's voice in my head. I shake my head and start to walk away. There's a flicker of an aura. Raiden? It couldn't be. I start to move, only for Takumi and Kenta to join us, heaving and panting.

"You run too fast." Takumi manages to get out.

"You were jogging." It's a shame that Takumi can't see my pout and raised eyebrows. I start glancing around trying to find that aura again. Nothing. I've lost him.

"Takumi can't run, haha very funny, we know." I can tell he's giving me the roll of the eyes.

"Trishula?" Kenta asks.

"Yeah, it hasn't disappeared." I look up at the dragon. One of its three heads rests near me. "Didn't summon it with my duel disk either." Kenta stays quiet, clearly stuck up in his head again. I take off my glove and rest it on Trishula's head. Cold spreads throughout my body. It's familiar cold that makes everything go numb. I realise why it's familiar. Before I pull my hand back, Trishula fades away slowly. I stare at my hand, cold still lingering.

"Come on, let's go." Kenta moves and grabs my hand. He continues to hold my cold hand. The cold slowly starts to seep out of my hand into Kenta.

* * *

Kenta doesn't let go of my hand until we're near his apartment. The four of us go inside. I sit on the couch, waiting for Takumi to make us all a hot drink.

"Good job everyone! We did good today." He calls from the kitchen.

"What do you mean good job? I stood there while Yuuka did all the work." The snark from Kaoru is strong.

"You were there for support. You tried." I lay my head on the back of the couch to look at him.

Takumi brings out mugs for us. Kaoru and his tea, geez, he's practically an old man already. Kenta stares at me while holding his mug close to his face.

"Sasaki, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" Takumi turns and stares at Kenta. There's something in his eyes. I don't know how to explain. It's like he almost telling Kenta to stop. Kenta closes the kitchen door behind me. He stares at the door. I reckon he's trying to see if they're going to listen in on this.

"What do you need to talk about?" I keep my voice lowered.

"You need to keep your mouth shut." Kenta furrows his brow. "You talk too much. Keep quiet, you're going to give us away. All that Team Satisfaction stuff? Nobody needs to know." Kenta takes a deep breath. "Talk less."

"All that talking got us the Red Serpents' territory. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, but we keep running your mouth. You're getting us into trouble." Kenta frowns. "Have you not noticed yet?"

"Notice what?" My shoulders slump.

"The moment you mentioned Team Satisfaction, Yusei got attacked. Wasn't he part of that? Did you not think about that? How could you not have noticed? Someone's figured us out, Sasaki. And I'm pointing my finger at you!" Kenta stands right in front of me, pointing a finger right in my face.

That was a coincidence, right? He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, surely. With Aki nonetheless. Why? Of course he would. Just on a regular walk with her. That's something they'd do, right? I shake remembering the flicker of Raiden's aura. Is that why they got attacked? That's why this is all just one huge misunderstanding. Raiden hated Yusei with a passion. That's why that happened. It must be. It's the only thing I can think of. Felix seemed too nice to purposely attack Yusei to get at me. No, he's too new to the City to know that Yusei was a part of Team Satisfaction. Saoirse wasn't from the Satellite, at least I think so. She wouldn't have done that, I know that at least.

"No. That wasn't my fault." I manage to stutter out.

"Oh okay, you're not taking the blame like usual. Who done it then Sasaki? Tell me." Kenta's shoulders are starting to shake.

"I felt Raiden's aura, before you arrived." Kenta stumbles back slightly. His eyes are wide.

"Sasaki, that's not possible. You know that. He's gone."

"I know what I felt."

Kenta sighs deeply. "You'd know better than I would, better than anyone." I'm surprised. Is Kenta actually saying that I'm better at something? I'm so used to him putting me down that I'm actually shocked that he said that. "I hope you're right." He mumbles.

"Honestly, each option is as bad as the other." Kenta pouts slightly. "Red Serpents know who I am, they spill to other gangs. They might find out who you are through association. Raiden knows." I shake my head. "We're doomed. You, me, Yusei, everyone."

"I hope you're wrong. For the both of us." Kenta holds his face in his hands, I spot the bags under his eyes between the gaps in his fingers. "That it's just a coincidence. Wrong place at the wrong time." He suddenly moves his hands down and stares at them. "Did I hide my skin enough? I have nobody they can use against me. So, they figured out who you are and attacked Yusei."

"Don't be silly. It was just a coincidence. It was probably some Cross Syndicate kids off their turf." I go to rest my hand on Kenta's shoulder, only to pull away.

"Yeah, it was." He says it like he's trying to convince himself. He keeps staring at his gloveless hands. He starts tugging at his turtleneck. "We're fine." Fear keeps flickering in his eyes.

"Go take that turtleneck off. You'll feel better." I go to move out of the kitchen.

"Keep your eye out, Sasaki. It could be someone on the inside." The volume of his voice lowers. I look back at him with wide eyes. Is he implying what I think he's implying? I nod solemnly.

* * *

"I have a question to ask you." Aki brings this up relatively soon into one of our little _lunch dates_ that we seem to have quite often.

"Go ahead." I nervously sip my coffee, a little afraid of what she's going to say.

"How do you feel about Yusei?" There it is. Honestly, I've been expecting this question for a while. Since she most definitely likes Yusei at this stage.

"He's alright I guess." I'm not one to deter a fellow girl, no matter my own feelings. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure how I feel." Aki holds her teacup near her face, staring deeply into it. She sighs so deeply that her shoulders slump.

"What do you mean?" Not sure how she feels? I'm definitely confused. To me, it was quite obvious.

"I thought that I liked him."

"Thought?" I think I exaggerate it a bit more than I intended to, because Aki gives me a strange look. "What do you mean by that?" I try to be a bit more subdued.

"Back when we were facing the Dark Signers and after that, I had all of these feelings for Yusei. I honestly thought that I liked him." She looks at me, I nod, letting her continue. "Then, suddenly it occurred to me." She looks up from her teacup. "I'm starting to rely on Yusei like I relied on Divine."

"Oh." That's all that manages to come out of my mouth. I honestly didn't expect that.

"Yes." Aki pulls this face like she's trying not to lose composure. "I realised that a while ago. I kept thinking about Divine, and it kept leading me to Yusei. And I just." She sighs and then pauses. "I just feel like I rely on Yusei too much. I always go to Yusei if I need help, if I need to make a big decision. I just can't but feel like it's Divine all over again. I know that Yusei is not like Divine, and never will be, but still, I can't help how I feel. I thought maybe you would understand."

"I haven't experienced that like you have, but I understand. You need to take control, you owe yourself that."

"I do." There's a look of determination in her eyes. "I want, no I _need_ to take control of my own life." She sets down the teacup, "This is the first time I've been on my own, the first time I've been able to make my own decisions. I'm going to live my life how I want to." The air around Aki is so dignified. Prime example of someone taking control of their own life. Instead of someone hiding behind a banner of revolution to escape their problems.

"Yes, that's what you deserve." Aki smiles again, I love seeing a smile on her face after all she's been through.

"You're right." She nods, I smile too. I'm so proud of her. I haven't been talking to Aki for very long, but I am really proud of her and how far she's come since Duel Academy. Then, her face sombers. Almost like she had forgotten some terrible thing and it just dawned on her now. Something she pushed to the back of her head. "I need to tell you something." She looks down. "It's the real reason why I asked you here."

"What is it?" I'm starting to shake. It's not good news.

"They found Divine."


	37. Meant to Be Yours

"They found Divine?" I have to repeat what Aki said. My eyes don't leave her face. I'm searching any hint of a joke or sarcasm. But I don't find any. "But you said that you looked after everyone appeared." She sighs deeply.

"I guess he reappeared somewhere else. The same way you didn't show up with everyone else." She pauses. "I had almost convinced myself that he was gone forever."

"Who knows?" She bites her lip.

"Mikage told me that they found Divine in the Satellite. I haven't told anyone else." Aki looks me straight in the eyes. I'm surprised. "I haven't even told Yusei." Almost like she can read my mind. "Mikage said that I could go speak with Divine if I wanted to."

"Do you want to?" Aki looks down, deep in thought.

"I do, I have so many things I want to say." She turns. "Then again, I'm terrified by the thought."

"If you want to say something, you should. Else, you were probably regret it."

"I suppose so." She sighs. "Will you come with me? I don't want to alone." She pauses again. "In case something happens."

"Of course I'll go with you." I smile. "Nothing will happen if I'm around."

"Thank you." Aki tries to smile, but she bites the inside of her lip. There's so many emotions stirring inside her, I can't pick out one in particular. Almost like a deep dark void that will swallow anything that gets too close.

* * *

Aki puts on a brave face going into the elevator. She's been silent for a while. She concentrates on her breathing. I'm starting to wonder if she really be okay. If this was a good idea. There's no turning back. Divine has been moved into the interview room. I can tell that by the aura, and we're only at the start of the corridor. Mikage meets us in the corridor. She has a rather solemn expression. I imagine it's because of Aki. All of her anxieties are starting to bubble to the surface. Mikage leads to a door. A guard stands next to it, I can see the muscles rippling underneath the jacket.

"The guard will lead into the interview room. You will have guards with you. Your friend and I will be behind one-way glass, we'll be watching everything that happens. We've placed restraints on him so that we limit his psychic powers. You have no reason to be afraid." Mikage's words do nothing to calm down Aki.

"Breathe." I say. Aki looks towards me. "You can do this." She takes a deep breath and nods.

Mikage leads into a small room. We stand in silence as Aki is led in. Divine just sits there. There's the beginnings of a sinister smirk of his face.

"Hello Aki." I can see the semblance of a scar on the side of Divine's face that I can't see. Something that, no doubt, is linked to the Dark Signers. My skin crawls at the mere sound of his voice.

"Hello Divine." She remains completely straight-faced.

"How have been holding up?" I notice some sort of strange metal armband above Divine's handcuffs. Is that how they're restraining his powers? Divine stares straight at the one-way glass. I could swear his eyes meet mine. Clearly it's not working. Aki stays silent.

"Fine." She manages to get out. The room stays silent as Aki tries to form the words on the tip of her tongue. Divine just sits back. His wrists move like he's trying to get out of the handcuffs. The guards in the room are ready to pounce. "Is it true? That you were really making a psychic army?" Divine looks back at the one-way window.

"Yes, and you were going to be the centre of it." Is Divine really admitting to this when he knows that he's being watched like a hawk? He's clearly up to something. Aki's eyes harden a little bit.

"I have outgrown you." Aki's mouth forms a hard line. "I don't need you anymore." Something flickers in Divine's eyes. "I'm not that lost little girl anymore. I don't need you to guide me. I won't let you mold me into a warrior. I can control my powers now. I know who I am now, and I don't need you." She takes a deep breath. That's been weighing on her mind for some time I imagine. Divine says nothing. Silence lingers again in the room.

"Really?" There's this smile on Divine's face that literally gives me the chills down my spine. Boy, am I glad that I didn't join the Arcadia Movement. "You think you can?" I close my eyes in an effort to stop myself breaking through that glass and beating up Divine.

"Yes." Aki's voice leaves no room for discussion, but Divine continues.

"Prove it." There's something to Divine's voice. I can't quite put my finger on it. It gets under my skin and just makes me plain uncomfortable. Raiden. That's what it reminds me of. It puts a shiver in your spine. It nags you, it doesn't leave you alone. You do what it wants.

Aki freezes. She looks at the glass, as if hoping she'd get an answer from it. She's torn. Prove that she is in charge of her own life, or prove that she still does whatever Divine wants. She looks at her hands, folded in her lap. She looks so lost. Her brow starts to furrow. Her emotions keep swirling and changing so much that I can't keep up with them. Aki is a storm in her own right. This is really the moment she shows whether she is in charge of her life or not.

"I will." Her voice is definite. She creates with every word she speaks. Creating her own path in life with vigorous movements. She is the unstoppable force. Her past, the unmovable object.

Mikage starts talking into a walkie talkie, arranging a duel field for Aki and Divine. Divine is taken out of the room first. Safety, I imagine. The guards escort Aki somewhere, Mikage mentions a place but I don't catch it. I follow Mikage to a duel field. If anything, I'm confused. Why this City felt the need to install a duel field in their Security headquarters, I don't know. Really, in all honesty, it just makes me lose faith in this City.

"How's Mr. Atlas?" Mikage suddenly turns to me as we're walking. I'm a little shocked that she asked me and not Aki. Does she know who I am? She referred to me as Aki's friend earlier, so I figured she didn't know who I am. Now I'm just confused. Then again, she's high-up in Security. She's probably already seen my files. I remember something about her working for Godwin. Maybe that's it. As time goes on, I keep getting the impression that Rex Godwin knew _exactly_ who I was. I imagine that implies Mikage does as well.

"Doing okay I guess. Getting ready for the WRGP."

"That's good." That's the last she says to me before things get properly set up.

Divine gets taken, in handcuffs, to one end of the arena. One hand is freed, while the other is chained to the floor. They attach a duel disk to his left arm. Aki is escorted to the other end of the arena. Aki stands tall at her end of the field. Her aura spreads around her, almost acting like a shield. Divine, meanwhile, stands slightly hunched. His aura festers. It's almost slimey. It's not like I remember it. It used to be smooth, calming. Like it was just a natural charm. Now, it's almost the opposite. I take a deep breath. This atmosphere is very tense, the weight of it on my shoulders.

"Duel!" There's a definite tone to their voices, like this is it, one last hurrah.

"I'll go first." Something in Divine's aura changes. It's darker, a little bit colder. "I summon Psychic Commander(ATK:1400)." The monster isn't materialising, this is good. Maybe those restraints actually do work. "I set two cards and end my turn." A smirk appears on his face. I start to shake. I can feel my aura being pulled outwards, I hunch to try stop the feeling. What's going on? Is this Divine's doing?

"I draw." Aki seems unfazed by what's going on. "I set a monster and two more cards. I end my turn." She rests her arms by her side, and takes a deep breath. Her aura isn't being manipulated, I can say that. But she's clearly torn up inside. She can do this. I know she can.

"My turn. I summon Telekinetic Shocker(ATK:1700)." Something in the air changes. "Level 3 Psychic Commander tunes Level 4 Telekinetic Shocker. Surge, my dark vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come, Psychic Lifetrancer!" The monster appears in a dark shroud and bursts out. Wind sweeps through the room. Aki is visibly shaking.

"Mikage, are you sure those restraints are working?" I turn to her. A look of panic sweeps over Mikage. She contacts somebody. With a harsh tone, she asks about the restraints. Apparently, they are working. "Maybe Divine is so strong that the restraints aren't working." Mikage stares at me with wide eyes. Even at rest, Divine's aura is one of the strongest I've encountered.

"I'll give you one last chance, Aki." There's a soft glow to Divine's eyes. "One last chance to apologise. You turned your back and everything we believed in. The people in this City need to pay for what they did to us, to our people." In that moment, I don't see Divine. I see Raiden standing there, the building crumbling around us. Divine looks away from Aki and looks me straight in the eyes. I shudder, he knows who I am. "What about it, Aki?" She remains silent. "Fine, I see how it is." The glow in his eyes grows stronger for a split second. "I activate Premature Burial. By paying 800 life points, I can Special Summon a monster from the grave." Divine's life points drop to 3200.

"I activate Illusion Destruction." Aki calls out. "I choose one card on the field, and flip it face-down. I choose Psychic Lifetrancer!" Divine grits his teeth.

"I Special Summon Telekinetic Shocker from the grave(ATK:1700). I attack your set card." Aki's set card flips to reveal Hedge Guard(DEF:2100). Divine's life points drop to 2800. "I end my turn." Divine frowns. There's a darkness in his eyes, it freaks me out. I'm starting to be worried for Aki.

"I draw. I set one monster and end my turn." Aki closes her eyes, I think I see her bite her lip.

"Is that all?" Divine asks. "Are you afraid, Aki? Can you not fight back? Or do you know that I'm right? Yusei can't keep saving you forever." Aki's eyebrows furrow slightly but she says nothing. "My turn. I activate Foolish Burial. I send one monster from my deck to the grave. Telekinetic Shocker attacks your new set card." Another Hedge Guard(DEF:2100) appears. Divine's life points drop again, this time to 2400. "I end my turn." Divine is getting more and more agitated.

"I draw." Aki sighs. "I'm not afraid of you, Divine." She looks him right in the eyes. "I will never be afraid of you. I end my turn."

"You did nothing, huh? My turn. I activate the Continuous Spell Psi-Station. Whenever I Normal Summon a Psychic-Type Monster, I can pay 500 life points to increase that monster's Level by 1 and its attack by 300. I end my turn." Divine stands a little straighter, almost egging Aki on.

"I draw. I summon Twilight Rose Knight(ATK:1000). I activate its effect. When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Plant-Type monster from my hand. I choose Lord Poison(ATK:1500). Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight tunes Level 4 Lord Poison. Chilling flames engulfs the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!" I realise. This is the first time I've seen Black Rose Dragon without it being materialised. I suddenly see how beautiful it is because I'm not ducking for cover or shielding my face. There is a beauty to its destructive power. I see that now.

"I was wondering when that dragon was going to appear." Divine smirks. "You're still the Witch, Aki. You crave that destruction and power. You want to hurt everyone and everything around you."

"No." Aki's tone is definite, and stops Divine in his tracks. "I'm not that person anymore. I never want to hurt anyone ever again. I want to help people, and that's what I'm going to do." She takes a deep breath. "Black Rose Dragon attacks Telekinetic Shocker." Divine's life points drop to 1700. "This also destroys Premature Burial."

"I activate Telepathic Power." Fear flashes in Aki's eyes. "When a Psychic-Type monster I control is destroyed by battle with you monster, I can destroy that monster. I also gain life points equal to that monster's attack." Black Rose Dragon explodes into a flurry of petals. Divine gains 2400 life points, leaving him at 4100. He has more life points now than Aki, this mightn't turn out well. Then again, Aki still has her two Hedge Guards.

"I end my turn." Aki doesn't sound resigned. If anything, she sounds more determined.

"My turn. I set one monster and end my turn." I keep staring at Divine. It's nothing like I remember it. How much has he changed? Did Aki cause this? "Is this what you really want?" Divine tilts his head. "Are you sure you're not just following Yusei? He doesn't understand you like I do."

"This is what I want. I am my own before I am anyone else's." Aki's changed. She's blossomed while not being under Divine's thumb. No longer a scared little girl, she is now a woman in her own right. "You manipulated me. I will not let that happen to me again. I'm stronger now. I don't need you."

"I draw." Aki starts her turn. "I summon Copy Plant(ATK:0)." She holds her head down and takes a deep breath. She grasps her right arm. Her Signer Mark. "Level 1 Copy Plant tunes two Level 3 Hedge Guards. Pitch dark flower that blooms alone in moonlight, spread out your roots and heal the Earth! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon(ATK:2400)!" This dragon looks identical to the normal Black Rose. I almost feel calmer with this dragon around. The atmosphere feels lighter and soothing. The normal Black Rose Dragon creates a fire in the air, a cold burning sensation. This dragon is different, and so is Aki. "When this card is Special Summoned, I can choose a Level 5-or-higher monster that was Special Summoned to your field and return it to your hand. I choose Psychic Lifetrancer!" The monster returns to Divine's Extra Deck. Divine grits his teeth again but says nothing. "Now, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attacks your set card. Lunar Rose Flare!" It is destroyed. "I end my turn."

I keep staring at the dragon. Is this the Crimson Dragon's doing? Aki's mark burned just before she summoned it. Aki certainly never had that card before. I think this dragon suits Aki better. I feel its very presence healing me. It doesn't destroy everything around it, it only heals.

"My turn." Divine starts. He keeps staring at Aki and her new dragon. I wonder what he's thinking. I imagine he can feel its healing aura. He sees that Aki is different. She is no longer the Black Rose Witch. That's for certain. "I end my turn." I'm taken aback by Divine ending his turn. Did he get a bad draw? Or is this something different entirely?

"I draw." Aki stares back at Divine. Gods know what she's thinking. Her aura is telling me nothing at all. "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attacks your set card." The card is destroyed. "I end my turn." Aki is managing to control her powers. That's better than what I was able to do. Hopefully she can end this duel on better terms than I did with Raiden. Maybe this is what I should have done. Stayed calm, control my powers. Reason with him, talk it out. Not going in guns blazing, destroying everything.

"My turn. I set one card and end my turn." Before Aki begins her turn again, Divine cuts her off. "I activate Psychic Tuning. I choose one Psychic-Type monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in Attack Position. If either the monster or this card is removed from the field, the other is destroyed. When that happens, I take damage equal to that monster's Level times 400. I choose Mind Protector(ATK:0). This monster is also treated as a Tuner." He's planning to Synchro obviously. Divine gestures to Aki, letting her begin her turn. He looks so unhinged. His hair falls unevenly and slightly crimped. Nothing like his smooth appearance before. He almost looks like he could fall apart at any moment.

"I draw." Aki starts. "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attacks Mind Protector." Divine's life points fall to 1700 in a flurry of nonexistent petals. "Psychic Tuning's effect activates." His life points drop again. Now they stand at 500. Aki has nearly won. She has total field advantage. I don't see how Divine can get out of this. "I end my turn."

"You haven't got me yet." Divine has his face down, hiding his face. "We were supposed to be together." There's a look of desperation on Divine's face. "I was meant to be yours. We were supposed to get our revenge on this cruel city together. But Yusei Fudo ruined that! He put all of these ideas in your head. He won't be around forever. He may have _saved_ you, but he won't always be there for you. But I will. I'm the only person in this world who really understands you. I can save you again. We're the only people who can make each other happy!" There's something crazed in Divine's eyes. He's slowly becoming more and more unhinged. "My turn. I set a card and end my turn." The field stays silent.

"Aki." Divine whispers it so softly that I barely hear it. It catches me by surprise. There's a small glance at the real Divine. None of this revenge on the City, no psychic armies, no Arcadia, just Divine.

"I draw." Aki doesn't respond to Divine.

"First, I activate Psychic Overload." Divine cuts her off. "I choose three Psychic-Type monsters in my grave and shuffle them back into my deck and draw two cards." It's useless. He's lost.

"Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attacks you directly!" Aki barely waits for Divine to finish. There's a hesitation in her raising her arm. The rose petals in the air, though not materialised, start to cleanse the air. I feel the weight in my stomach subside. Divine's life points fall to 0.

The guards rush forward to Divine. Aki steps forward, walking towards Divine. The guards let her walk. She stands a bit away from Divine. I start walking towards Aki, I don't think about it. My feet lead me. They hold each other's gazes. I can the weight in their stares.

"You can't save me. Yusei didn't save me. I saved myself." She takes a deep breath. "Goodbye Divine." With that, she turns her back to Divine.

I follow Aki out of the arena. She leans against the wall. I can see the tears threatening to spill. I take Aki in my arms. I feel her shaking. We stay like this for a while. She doesn't cry. There are no tears. Raw emotion. They escape in shaky breaths and trembling hands. I rub her back. I don't say anything. I don't want to say anything. I know she doesn't want me to say anything.

"Yuuka." She mutters my name after a while. I step back to let her breathe. She still wipes her eyes even though no tears fell. "I told him how I feel."

"You did great." I keep my voice soft. She nods with a small smile. The smile then slowly fades.

"I realised something." A somber expression takes over her face. "Maybe Divine isn't the monster I painted him out to be in my head." I squint a little, is she sure? Because that's what I saw. "He's the same as me and you. Someone shunned by society for our powers. He was just angry at the world like the rest of us. I realised that when he said my name just there. He's just like us. He deserves sympathy just like the rest of us." I'm taken aback by Aki's words. Who'd have known what wisdom lies behind her youthful eyes? Do I agree? It would be like me saying that Raiden deserves sympathy. He's done nothing to deserve sympathy. I hate to say it, but I don't agree with Aki. There's a line, Divine and Raiden crossed it long ago. "Is there something wrong?" Aki frowns.

"Nothing."


	38. To The End

I think I'm starting to spin out of control. I've become addicted to the feel of the adrenaline in my veins. The thrill of gaining territory, one more piece of the puzzle. I sit waiting for the next gang to call, for Takumi to call me with the next plan. For me to jump into action. Dueling and talking my way out of any corner I find myself in. Aki is looking at me differently now. Maybe the whole thing with Divine changed her opinion of me, who knows. But what I do know is that Yusei's stare has started to linger. I feel the weight of it. He knows something. But the question is what. Has he found out? This is the question lingering in the back of my head ever since he got attacked. Does he know about my crusade through these City gangs?

"Yuuka." Kaoru calls out.

"Yeah?" I answer.

"You've been stirring that coffee for like ten minutes now." I stare at my reflection settling in the black coffee.

"Are you okay, honey? You seem a bit out of it lately." Kasumi walks in with an empty mug, only to immediately fill it again with more hot water. "I can't imagine job hunting in your position being easy."

"There's only so many times you can be rejected I suppose." I leave the spoon on the counter with a clang.

"I suppose that's true." She sighs and stands there in silence for a few seconds. "Ugh, better keep cleaning." She trots back upstairs.

Kaoru sits at the table in silence for a while. I try to guess what he's thinking without reading his thoughts. I hate being exposed to his thoughts, or anyone's thoughts for that matter. There's something about the lack of privacy that irks me.

"You doing okay?" Kaoru looks up at me. "You seem stressed, is it exams?"

"I mean, it's not just exams." He vaguely shrugs his shoulders. "Bit of everything, I guess." He says everything, but I know exactly what he's talking about.

"Tell the truth." Kaoru's eyes snap back towards me. He's lying, I know by his aura. His eyes move towards the door. He remains silent, I think he's trying to listen out for Kasumi.

"Fine." He sigh. "It's just that, ever since Yusei and Aki got attacked, I've been worried about you. Someone out there knows who you are and is trying to get you. I'm worried that you're next." He stares at me intently. "I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen. It's always at the back of my mind, this sense of dread. I feel like you're going to get hurt and it's going to be soon."

"I talked to Kenta. We've agreed that it was just a coincidence-"

"You're wrong. There's no such thing as a coincidence. Maybe it's wasn't the Red Serpents, but another gang out there knows who you are. I'm telling you now, somebody knows."

"We weren't too far from Cross Syndicate territory, it was probably just some kids from there." Kaoru's mouth forms a line. "That's the most likely cause. You're just assuming the worst."

"That's what we have to do. You said it yourself, the gangs here in the City are vicious. Isn't that a thing that would happen here?" I say nothing. "I just want you to be careful, okay?"

"I don't know." I sigh. Kaoru scoffs. Something in his aura changes, there's almost a bitterness to it. My phone buzzes, Kaoru rolls his eyes.

_Miguel got in contact with me. Will call later._

"What did Takumi say?" Kaoru asks.

"You know Takumi texted me but not what he said. Can't you read my thoughts?" I quickly raise my eyebrows. He doesn't seem very happy.

"You purposely block me out."

"Not intentionally." I shrug my shoulders. "But anyway, I think we have our next target. I don't know who Miguel is but I'm going to assume we'll meet him soon."

"Why did you drag me into this?" His eyebrows furrow. "I didn't ask for this. I never wanted to be involved in any of this."

"I didn't drag you into this." I sigh. "You agreed to this. You said you were doing this to protect me. I haven't gotten hurt yet, you're still doing this."

"You're going to. I know you are." His eyes bore into mine. "It's only a matter of time, and you're going to leave with me." He stands up. He walks towards the door and then stops. "Because I don't want anyone else getting hurt." He looks down. He's in deep thought for a split second before snapping out of it.

"I'm not going to. I know what I'm doing." I meet Kaoru's eyes. He looks back down at the ground, closing his eyes. He's about to say something, but he sighs instead. Shaking his head, he walks out of the kitchen.

* * *

We stand in silence near the ever growing bridge network between the City and the Satellite. Surprisingly, most of the bridges are already finished. It's been six months since they started building the bridges. Though, I suppose throwing all of Jack's savings from when he was King into the construction helps. The silence is pretty awkward. We're all starting to fidget. Kaoru's been on his phone since we got here. I keep trying to glance at his phone, he's tilted it slightly so I can't see it. He better not be spilling secrets, or he and I will have a little _discussion_. Kenta keeps glancing at Takumi. I start fiddling with my thumbs while leaning against my D-Wheel. Takumi said I would need it. I imagine we're facing the Phantom Riders. They're infamous for their D-Wheels. They've come to prominence recently. I imagine it's because of all the bridges specifically for Riding Duels. They've even got some territory in the Satellite, I've heard. I'm not sure how many gangs have territory in the Satellite. Probably because I kept my head stuck in the sand for the last few months.

We're likely to be outnumbered by who shows up to this fight. Apparently, the leader, Miguel, called Takumi to arrange a meeting face-to-face. Something is unsettling about that. I suspect some sort of ambush. I'd expect something like that from City gangs, _especially_ Satellite gangs. I cringe at the memory of a particularly bad experience with gangs back in the Satellite.

"So you know the way Aki was called the Black Rose Witch?" I turn to look at Kaoru, I nod and he continues. "What would you be called? Like the Fabled Witch or something?"

"It rhymes with that." Kenta answers for me.

"What do you mean it rhymes?" Kaoru turns back to Kenta.

"The Fabled Bitch." I answer. Kaoru seems shocked by my _language_. I'm a psychic, I'm sure people are calling me that anyway.

"I came up with it." There's a smug undertone to Kenta's voice. Kaoru looks back at me, he stays silent. Though I can tell something's plaguing his mind. I stand up straighter at the sound of D-Wheel engines. Five D-Wheels pull up a few meters away from us. I take a deep breath. Four of the D-Wheelers stand back while one approaches us.

"You're the one I'm facing, I assume?" He takes off his helmet. I almost inhale sharply but I catch myself. His face is covered in markers. Two long markers going from his hairline to his chin, with more dotting his face. His mop of red hair stands out against his skin and markers.

"Are you Miguel?" I respond.

"That's me alright." He puts forward his hand. I shake it. "This might sound bad, but do you mind taking your mask off? I hate dueling someone I can't see the face of." Kaoru's head snaps towards me. I've prepared for this. I take my mask off, setting on the seat of my D-Wheel, behind my helmet. I've contoured my face a lot and I also managed to get some blue contacts. It's very unlikely that he would recognise me under all this makeup. His eyes widen slightly, I panic. "You're just a kid."

"I'm older than I look." He laughs. In my disguise, I look like an unusually broad teenage boy, around sixteen or so. To my luck, my thick waist actually helps me when I'm trying to pass for a guy. "You're from the Satellite, yeah?"

"Born and bred." He beams with pride, he seems surprised when I reply with a 'me too'. Then again, the makeup that I'm wearing hides my mark. "Okay, down to business." He rubs his hands together. "I thought instead of yous hunting us down and everything that follows, we'd issue a challenge. That seems fair, right? I'd actually like to avoid violence. It's just the kind of guy I am."

"I would too." As far as I can see, he's genuine. He's not a psychic, surprisingly.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Miguel seems like a pretty okay guy, which is surprising. "You win, you get all of the Phantom Riders territory. I win, I get all of the Team Liberation territory. We cool?"

"Yeah." I nod. "Wanna go straight to business now?"

"Sure thing." He grins. He puts his hand out to me again. "Good luck. You'll need it, my deck is pretty strong."

"Really?" I shake his hand again. "Mine is too." Miguel laughs and walks back to his D-Wheel, putting his helmet back on, I do the same. We ignite our engines at around the same time. We both speed off towards the bridges.

"Speed World 2, set!" Miguel sets the new version of Speed World. I've used it before. Crow challenged me to a Riding Duel, which I lost sadly. Though I did end up beating him in an arm wrestling contest later, so I saved my pride.

"Duel Mode, on. Autopilot, standby." My D-Wheel boots up into duel mode. I take a deep breath. I am ready for this.

"This lane will be starting a Riding Duel. Will pedestrian vehicles please diverge immediately." The robotic announcer voice comes onto the speakers. The bridge starts changing around us.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" I call out.

"Lane selection. Two optimum, usable lanes. Submitting duel lanes to central. Authorisation."

"A duel will be starting." It drones on repeat. "Will pedestrian vehicles please diverge immediately." Then, it starts repeating the phrase again. Miguel and I turn into our lane, but he beats me on the corner. I don't mind, I prefer going second anyway.

"You're the challenger, go ahead." I call out to Miguel.

"Don't mind if I do." He seems so genuinely happy to be dueling. I guess most Satellite people are the same in that regard. "My turn!" Our Speed Counters increase to 1. "I summon Laval Warrior(ATK:1800). I end my turn, over to you."

"Thanks. My turn." Our Speed Counters go up to 2. "I draw." I take a look at my hand. Damn, none of my monsters are strong enough to deal with his monster. Wait, I can use my Speed Spell. "I activate the Speed Spell Hammer Shot from my hand. By decreasing my Speed Counters by 2, I get to destroy the monster with the highest ATK on the field. That means your Laval Warrior is destroyed!" My Speed Counters drop straight back to 0. I take a look at my hand again, I guess I'll summon the monster with the highest ATK since the other monsters' effects aren't useful to me at the moment. "I summon Fabled Grimro(ATK:1700), and attack you directly." Miguel's life points drop straight to 2300. "I end my turn."

"Lucky first hand, am I right?." Miguel laughs. "My turn." Our Speed Counters increase by 1. "I summon Prominence, Molten Swordsman(ATK:1800)." How many monsters under Level 5 have 1800 ATK in his deck? Grimro has the highest ATK in my deck, this isn't good. I'll need to Synchro soon if I want to win. "I activate Prominence's effect. I banish Laval monster from my grave to increase his ATK by 300 until the End Phase. And I banish Laval Warrior(ATK:1800-2100)! I attack your Fabled Grimro with Prominence." I tut as my life points fall to 3600. "I end my turn. Prominence's ATK returns to normal(ATK:2100-1800)."

"My turn." Our Speed Counters increase again, mine finally reaching what they were before I activated my Speed Spell. "I draw." Fabled Krus. If discarded, I can Special Summon a Level 4-or-lower Fabled monster from my grave. I could get Grimro back on my field to deal with his high ATK monsters. I glance at the rest of my hand. Wait, I see it. Maybe I can summon… "I summon The Fabled Rubyrada(ATK:1100). I end my turn."

"1100 ATK? You're planning something, aren't you Yuudai?" Miguel slows down to drive beside me.

"Guess you'll have to wait and see." A devious smile appears on my face.

"Are you enjoying yourself? Cause I am." Miguel smiles so big that I can see most of his teeth. "This is only possible because the City and the Satellite finally united. Look how lucky we are to be alive right now. Everything is changing, people are coming together. Could you ask for a more beautiful thing?"

"I guess it is." For the first time, I agree. This wouldn't have been possible with the bridge. So many possibilities for the future, I only hope we choose the right one.

"My turn." Our Speed Counters increase again. Miguel now stands at 5, while I'm at 3. "I summon the Tuner Monster Flamvell Baby(ATK:800)." Oh gods, he's Synchro Summoning now. I really need to Synchro next turn if I'm going to survive. Then, it strikes me, what I'm going to lose. Everything I've worked for. All that territory, all that hard work. Gone. I take a deep breath. I can survive this turn. I just need to draw that one card. "Level 1 Flamvell Baby tunes Level 4 Prominence, Molten Swordsman. Synchro Summon! Arise, Lavalval Dragon(ATK:2000)! What do you think, Yuudai?"

"Looking great." There's a delay in my reaction. I actually forgot that I was in disguise, it took me a second. A Synchro with 2000 ATK, this shouldn't be too bad. Apparently, there aren't enough monsters in his grave to activate its effect which is good for me.

"Now, Lavalval Dragon attacks your Fabled Rubyrada!"

"Not so fast!" I call out. "The Fabled Rubyrada's effect activates. If this face-up card is selected as an attack target, I can discard one Fabled monster to negate your attack. In discarding Fabled Krus, I activate its effect. When this card is discarded, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-lower Fabled monster from my graveyard, so I'm bringing back Fabled Grimro(ATK:1700)."

"Nice combo!" Miguel chuckles. You gonna Synchro next? You need to or you're gonna lose."

"I might." I smile. I don't put on the smile, it's naturally on my face. I can't believe I'm actually enjoying this.

"I end my turn. Let's see what you can do." Miguel clicks his tongue.

"Don't mind if do." The excite starts to build within me. If I draw that one card, I can win. "My turn." Our Speed Counters keep increasing. "I draw." Yes, I'm going to win. I can feel the smirk growing on my face. "I summon Fabled Lurrie(ATK:200). Level 4 The Fabled Rubyrada tunes Level 4 Fabled Grimro and Level 1 Fabled Lurrie. A frozen spear falls from the heavens and pierces the earth! Usher in a cycle of destruction and rebirth! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier(ATK:2700)!" My entire body tingles at Trishula's presence. It didn't materialise, that's the strangest thing. It's almost like I have a deeper connection with Trishula than that. "Here's my ace, Miguel. What do you think?"

"Not the ace I expected." He stares up at Trishula in awe. The dragon almost sparkles in the sunlight. "I mean, I would expected a Fabled Synchro Monster, cause y'know, that's what you use."

"I get that a lot." I do my best to shrug my shoulders. "I activate Trishula's effect. When this card is Synchro Summoned, I get to do three things. First, I banish one monster from your field. I choose Lavalval Dragon. Next, I banish one monster from your graveyard. I choose Prominence, Molten Swordsman. Finally, I banish one card from your hand. How about I banish the leftmost card."

"You got me now, haven't you?" I catch a glimpse of the sad smile on Miguel's face. I hesitate for a second. His field is wide open, no set cards. This is it.

"Trishula attacks you directly." Miguel's life points drop to 0. There's a twinge of sorrow deep down. We ride back to everyone else in silence. Once we park, Miguel shakes my hand again.

"Good duel. You really got me there with Trishula."

"Yeah, it was. Lavalval Dragon had me panicking for a while there."

"Boss." One of the Phantom Riders members calls out, well, former member. "Do you realise who that is?" Miguel turns back to look at them.

"No, should I?"

"That's The Fabled Bitch." There it is.

"You know what? I thought The Fabled Bitch would be a chick, you know, with that name and all." Another member pipes up.

"Dudes can be bitches too, Callum." The guy, who I imagine is called Callum, just shrugs his shoulders. Miguel just laughs. Then, within a split second, that somber expression comes back onto his face. He turns back to me.

"Well, Yuudai, you get all of the Phantom Riders territory." He bites his lip. "You're doing a good thing. Maybe you're what this City needs. Best of luck." He shakes my hand one last time and walks away from me. The other members circle him. One gets him in a headlock.

"You tried your best, Boss."

"We still have each other."

My heart sinks. For the first time, I feel like I'm seeing the consequences of my actions. There's a real sorrow in those guys. Their backs face me but I know there will be tears. Am I really tearing apart communities? Destroying friendships, families with my fingertips. We stare on silently as they drive away. Takumi is the first to walk away. Kaoru follows soon after. Kenta lingers, staring at me. He slowly walks away. I start driving. I loop around the bridges for a while. It clears my head. Though the memory of Miguel's face still lingers in the back of my head.

* * *

There's a knock on my bedroom door. I look at the clock beside me. It's 2am. I know it's Kaoru. I telepathically tell him to come in. I lie face-down on the bed as he walks in and sits on the chair next to the sewing machine.

"Can't sleep?" I ask him, not moving from my front.

"Nope." I turn my head to look at him, he's running his hand through his hair.

"What's on your mind? That's normally why you don't sleep." Must be nice to able to sleep like a normal person. Can't get to sleep because thoughts of people I don't want to mention plague my mind, while recurring dreams won't let me stay asleep.

"I just keep thinking about that Miguel guy and his friends. I always thought that gang leaders were these horrible mafia bosses who needed to be taken down. But, Miguel's friends, they…" He pauses. "They seemed so normal. They were cheering him on, and supporting him when they lost. They didn't care that they had lost territory, all that mattered was that they had each other."

"Well, Takumi and I are technically gang bosses."

"I thought you weren't like the rest of them." That's true. We don't seem like the regular gang bosses. Then again, both of us took that title without much experience or knowledge. We happened to pick up the bloodied crown when it fell. "I can't help but feeling we're destroyed something very important. I heard something on the news a while ago. People normally turn to gangs to have a sense of family. You said a lot of psychics are in gangs here, that makes a lot more sense now. It makes me sad just thinking about it."

"That's just the way things are." I sigh.

"It doesn't have to be that way!" He raises his voice as much as he can without waking Kasumi up. "We shouldn't be treated in such a way that we turn to gangs."

"I know. There's not much we can do." I sigh again.

"You keep saying that. There must be something we can do." He stays silent for a beat. "But still, I can't help but feel like what we're doing is wrong."

"You're free to leave anytime." I say calmly. "I've told you that."

"Not until I can guarantee your safety." Kaoru stands up. "Keep your eyes open. There's someone out there who's got their eye on you." He walks towards the door. "Just, keep safe, okay?"

"I will." I don't say anything more and Kaoru leaves the room, closing the door behind him. I sigh and push my face back into the pillow. Everyone's got their eye on me for different reasons. But the question is who's looking at me through the scope.


	39. In My Mind

It's about a week later when Kaoru comes home with a brand new, shiny D-Wheel. It makes me wonder how much he has saved away, I know he likes to work during the summer but geez. It's a pretty standard D-Wheel, one of the mass produced ones. He managed to get one in black, there's a really nice sheen to it. Then again, I'm pretty sure Kaoru has already polished it.

"You're copying me, huh?"

"Me owning a D-Wheel? Totally copying you, yeah." I can almost hear the sarcasm dripping from his mouth. You'd swear he was spending too much time around me. "I finished my exams, so I figured I'd treat myself."

"Treat yourself, the worst thing that ever happened to my self control." I ponder to myself. Kaoru shakes his head, sighing to himself.

"I needed it though, with everything that's going on."

"I suppose that's true." I go to sit on the mini fridge that's permanently in our garage. "A lot has happened in the last few months." Kaoru frowns.

"It's nearly been three months." He leans on the wall facing me. "Hard to believe sometimes."

"I know." Three months since Kaoru dueled me in front of the old boutique, since I saw Yusei again. It really only feels like a month ago, how time flies. "You had your first lesson the other day, right?"

"Yeah, I fell on my ass a bunch."

"It happens to all of us." I try to suppress a laugh.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you for help." The urge to roll my eyes is strong.

"Do you just have a problem with anything and automatically ask me?" I sigh. He's starting to get into this habit.

"I don't actually, for your information." He crosses his arms. "You're the only person I know who passed these tests, so that's why I'm asking you, dumbass."

"Hey, you're the real dumbass here."

"Shut up." He scoffs. "I was wondering how you keep your balance while on the D-Wheel."

"I don't know, that's just been something I've always been good at."

"Thanks, you've been a great help." Kaoru's mouth forms a solid line.

"Happy to help." I send sarcasm right back at him. "Roller skating is supposed to be good for balance, maybe you should try that."

"I am not going roller skating, geez that's so lame." He rolls his eyes.

"I mean, maybe if you invited Emiko…" I trail off, letting him put the pieces together.

"Why would it be any different if I invited Emiko?" He crosses his arms even tighter and glances to the side.

* * *

So, inevitably, I end up tagging along when Kaoru and Emiko head to the skating rink. I end trailing behind going very slowly as Kaoru makes his way around the edge. I'm honestly questioning why I'm here. Emiko seems to be doing a bang-up job. I catch a glimpse at Kaoru's thoughts. He's panicking. He's hyper aware of where Emiko's hands are on his back. Bless him. Don't think he can handle all this really. I should have brought someone else along. In hindsight, I should've seen this coming. It's Emiko we're talking about here.

Kaoru has been gripping the railings for the last few minutes. Emiko's laughing, trying to get him to let go. I swear there's a slight twinge of rouge on his cheeks. We manage to make a few laps. Kaoru's fingertips still graze the railings. Maybe I should just leave. I'm being a horrendously awkward third wheel here. Still, I skate at a snail's pace behind them.

"Kaoru!" A voice calls across the rink. The three look behind to see Anako waving from the far side of the railings. She walks around the outside of the rink to Kaoru. I don't get to hear Anako talk more as Emiko drags me by the arm around the rink. She's pouting and her brows are furrowed. It's hard to keep up with her. I almost fall a few times because her arm is still linked with mine.

"You doing okay?" I manage to get out after a few minutes.

"No." Her answer is very curt. I'm surprised. I've only seen Emiko angry a handful of times in the years that I've known her. I stare at her, waiting for her to answer. She moves closer to me, our arms still linked. "He just ignores me when she's around." She looks away. Oh. I stay silent. "What is even the point of inviting me if she shows up?" She sighs. I pull her into the centre of the rink. I start skating backwards and she follows. A small smile graces her face.

"You're pretty good at this. Have you been skating before?" She looks down with a faint glow on her face.

"Well, I mean, I already have my D-Wheel licence."

"You do?" I'm a little confused to say the least. "I thought Kaoru said he didn't know anyone who passed the test."

"I didn't do the test through the school." She shrugs her shoulders. "You know what he's like."

"That's true." I laugh, Emiko joins in.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you a lot lately. Cramming for winter exams, you know how it is." Her bottom lip sticks out.

"Yeah, I know. I say that but I've never studied a day in my life." I chuckle, but my face contorts slightly at the memory of Duel Academy.

"Not surprising. You used to call Maths class _nap time_." Emiko sighs and rolls her eyes, but it turns into a laugh. "I mean, who else could boast a perfect No Grade in everything that wasn't either Dueling or a language?"

"I mean, if you tried hard enough." I laugh. I nearly topple forward when I'm grabbed by the waist from behind. Emiko pulls me closer in an effort to save me from falling.

"There she is." Anako chirps, a little bit too close to my ear. Emiko's face falls. "My favourite." Anako places her hand on her chest, almost like a pledge. Emiko looks like she's trying to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She scoffs and skates off in Kaoru's direction.

"How are you doing?" I ask. Anako links my arm just as Emiko did. We end up going around the rink faster than I did before. We end up overtaking Kaoru and Emiko several times.

"Pretty good. Been training a lot with Kaoru. He's gotten so good. I'd dare say he's better than you." Rude. "But anyway, how have you been?"

"Okay, I guess. I've just had a lot going on. I need to go back to the gym. I've gotten very unfit since my accident, and it's starting to annoy me. I can't run as well as I use to. I kinda miss just going out for a jog."

"Oh I get you. I mean, you could always just come to the gym with me. I kind of need a gym buddy with me anyway. I lost touch with all of the friends I had before I moved away, so I'm kinda on my own now." Aw, I feel bad. I've been putting off meeting up with Anako for a while.

"Yeah, I'll go with you eventually."

"Aw, that would be great, I'm looking forward to it." I see an actual, genuine smile on Anako's face. It's unusual to see that. She normally hides behind this veil of humour and a lopsided smirk.

"But if you need help with anything," she pauses and looks me directly in the eye, "you can always ask me, right." In that moment, I feel her eyes piercing me. Her aura changes. With a single thought, she can mold her aura into whatever she wants. It flickers for a second, then I can barely feel it at all. I recognise that faint twinge of an aura. It's mine. It strikes a fear inside me. _She knows_. Every thought in my mind suddenly stops. Her aura almost scares me, swallows me whole. I shiver. It's unsettling feeling your own aura. You should never be sensing your own aura. Why is Anako showing me this out of everything? Why right now? After she said _that_ of all things. I realise that I've stopped in my tracks. I can feel Kaoru's eyes on me. I go to meet his eyes, but he turns away.

"Yeah." That's all that comes out of my mouth. What else could I say?

Anako manages to dive right into small talk after that moment. I think she sensed that I was not willing to talk about that. We make a few more laps around the rink before Kaoru decides he's had enough. He wants enough energy to walk home, he says. He lies. He knows that I'm still out of whack from what Anako said. Kaoru still says nothing even after Anako and Emiko have long departed. We manage to get all the way home without a word being spoken. I immediately head upstairs. The last thing I hear before closing the bedroom door is Kaoru muttering an _I'm sorry_.

* * *

I'm draped out on the couch in the kitchen of Poppo Time. Kaoru wants me out of the house so he can study. Apparently, my thoughts are louder in his head when I'm near him. I don't have this problem. I would very much not like having Kaoru's thoughts constantly in my head. I suppose his thoughts are harder to block out when he's near me. I'm burning through books at a surprisingly fast pace lately. Ever since my accident, I run through a new book at least every week. I never read that much before that. Then again, Emiko's book recommendations have started flowing in.

I suppose I have lot more time for that. Before my accident, I worked non-stop. More hours than I'm pretty sure was legal. Not working has been great. I have more free time than I know what to do with. Gang wars only take so much time. I end up patrolling our territory a lot. Walking up and down the borders endlessly. Graffiti covered up and replaced with the simple word, _liberation_. Takumi's work, I learnt. Kaoru joins me sometimes. A nice break from studying, he says. There's something so liberating about it. Roaming the streets. Coming and going when I want. No real responsibility, except that one thing that I'm not allowed talk about. I suppose I've really had that. No hope of that in the Satellite. Here, I went from full-time education to full-time work in a matter of weeks, and I haven't stopped since then. Until now. Somehow, I feel like this is the start of something for me. Like all this work, all the gang wars, all the talk of ancient wars. It's been leading to something. Something big, something _soon_.

"He misses you know." Crow seems to comment out of nowhere.

"You need to be more specific." I don't look away from my book.

"You know _exactly_ who I'm talking about."

"Oh, him." I knew who Crow was talking about in the first place. Crow has become something of an unofficial wingman for me. Of course he would be talking about Yusei. "What about him?"

"I catch him glancing at the couch downstairs sometimes." I sit up a little bit straighter. "I think he really misses having you around."

"I suppose. I miss being around here sometimes." I put my book down and sigh. I feel like if I stay around here too much, they might end up figuring out my secret. That I'm secretly running around liberating the City from gangs.

"Are you doing okay?" Crow asks.

"I guess." I shrug my shoulders. I hate having to hide this. But I need to. Knowing how protective they are, they wouldn't let me continue.

"I know you. That's what you say when you're not okay." Crow gives me a pointed look.

"Eh." I shrug my shoulders. "It's been a weird couple of months."

"You can say that again." He shakes his head. I suppose getting suddenly thrust into the world of Signers and saving the world will do that to you.

* * *

"Yuuka." Jack is the next to call out to me. I put my book down. I can tell that it's serious.

"Yeah?" I try to act like I don't sense the oncoming super serious conversation.

"Just before Christmas, I was talking to your friend Hoshakuji." Reika? Must have been related to my D-Wheel. Wait, I know what this is about.

"Sit down." I pat the space on the couch beside me. He sits down, resting his forearms on his knees. He stays silent for a few moments.

"She told me about how my security guards treated you after I became King." He looks at me. I look away, scratching the back of my head.

"Yeah, I was pretty pissed to say the least. Thought you had forgotten about your roots."

"I tried to. I had to hide my heritage so I could be King." There's an odd look in Jack's eyes. Memories resurfacing from that time.

"I realised that eventually." And by eventually, I mean in the last few months. "I suppose my emotions clouded my judgement for a while."

"Doesn't that always happen though?" There's a twinkle in his eye that tells me he's trying to tease me.

"Like you're any better." I laugh, then pause. "I took my anger out on you back then. I just felt so lost and alone in this City, and that only make things worse. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Wait.

"Did you just apologise?" Oh my gods. "Breaking news, Jack Atlas just apologised. Where's Carly when you need her?" I laugh. Jack frowns. "I take it you've been seeing Carly again?" He nods.

"She joins me for coffee sometimes."

"Aw, that's so cute." I smile.

"It's not cute."

"Sure." I drag out the word. Jack sits a little straighter and looks down at me. "It's not like there's anything going on between you two or anything."

"There isn't." He scoffs. "What about you and Yusei then?" I repeatedly shush him loudly.

"What if he hears you?" I panic. Despite the fact that I'm whispering, I feel like I'm shouting. "Besides, nothing's going to happen. We're both pretty comfortable where we are now." Jack looks at me. The look in his eyes just screams that I'm lying. It's true. But I'm not going to tell him that. "You know what, I don't have to deal with this today." A mix of a sigh and scoff comes out of my mouth. I pick up my book and head down into the garage.

I sigh again. I catch a glimpse of Yusei now and again from the top of my book. I can't help but stare at him sometimes. I love him. I've tried to deny it over and over again. Tell myself it's only just a crush. Everyone points the small smile that appears whenever he's near. How my laugh seems so much fuller. I've noticed it myself. The way my heart skips a beat whenever he does the smallest thing. The feeling of blush in my cheeks whenever our hands accidently touch. I'm lovesick, that's what I am. I can't deny it anymore. My thoughts in my head always seem to come back to him. I know it's true. I am hopelessly in love with Yusei Fudo.


	40. Through the Dark

Another fucking dream. I just keep running down long corridors. Every door I open just leads to more corridors. Everything looks the same. Dull and grey. Every step feels I'm wading through water. I look down, I'm not. I keep going. I suddenly get the feeling of being chased. I start to move faster. I check every door I pass. More endless corridors. The aura of whoever is chasing me lingers. It's familiar, I can't put my finger on it. Eventually, I open the right door.

I'm standing at the entrance of an apartment. I look at the large windows that take up most of the wall. I move to the window. I look out over the City. Near the Tops, I reckon. It's not quite the same City as I remember. Someone calls my name. I turn around. Yusei sits at the breakfast bar, drinking a cup of coffee. His hair is longer, reaching the base of his neck. The tight white t-shirt and jeans he's wearing are a welcome change. No. The longer I stare at him, the more I realise. This is not my Yusei. His gaze is different. The look in his eyes isn't quite the same. I go to speak. The room starts to fade. All the colour drains and seeps into the floor, turning pitch black.

Everything's reset. I'm standing in an endless black void. I look around me. Nothing. I move to look back in front of me. I jump. Raiden. He stares at me. My skin starts to tingle. My hands shake. He says nothing. I feel the fear in the pit of my stomach. My eyes start burning with tears. Suddenly, I'm back in the old Black Flag base. I see the rage in Raiden's eyes. The hatred inside of him. Betrayal. That's what his eyes say to me. He stretches his arm out towards me. Dark End Dragon spreads out its wings. The dragon lifts its head up to attack. Raiden's lips move just before Dark End Dragon shoots a stream of vile energy towards me.

_Just you wait_.

* * *

I wake up in a sweat. I sit up and brush my bangs off my forehead. I exhale loudly. I start to control my breathing again. That dream felt so real. It almost felt like I actually saw Raiden in front of me. The thought of that day scares me. I'd have to look Raiden Kimura in the eye. His presence lingers in everything I do. Sometimes, I wonder how much of me is Raiden. He had such an impact of life. How many of his personality traits have affected me? Leading Team Liberation. Will that lead me down the same path that Raiden once walked? Will I become that twisted, evil man that he was?

I feel Kaoru knocking at my door before I hear him. I tell him to come in. I turn my lamp on as he enters. He takes his usual seat by the sewing machine. He looks like he hasn't slept a wink.

"Did I wake you up?" I ask, just to make sure.

"No, wasn't asleep in the first place." I look at the clock. 3am, ouch.

"Oh." It's all that I can manage to get out. He stays silent for few minutes. My mind is too groggy to try make out his thoughts.

"What's the deal with Raiden?" He bursts out with that all of a sudden. I'm confused, he continues. "How do you get to be like that? How do you become that twisted?"

"Well, it's complicated." I pull my knees up to my chest. "He was apparently a normal child, according to Shinji anyway. Then, his parents were going through a rough patch. His psychic powers just appeared out of nowhere."

"They didn't take it well, I'm guessing?"

"No. His dad just straight up left. He was never the same after all. He got mixed in with the wrong crowd. Then, he started Black Flag. It was supposed to be a place where psychics could be just be psychics. Shinji joined because, y'know, they're related. He said that he looked up to Raiden a lot back then. Reika joined because she was friends with Shinji. They started to gain more and more territory. They actually managed to make a name for themselves."

My mind runs over everything that Shinji has told me. I take a deep breath. Now, I have to start dragging up memories.

"That's where I come in. Things were okay at the start, I guess. Then, he started to change. His strategies became more aggressive. Anako left, I think that's why she did. Eventually, he became nothing like he was before. Then, I fought him and left. That's where we are now." I stare at my hands. I've conveniently left out all of my relationship with Raiden. I can't bring myself to talk about that right now.

"Okay." Kaoru manages to say after some silence. He crosses his arms. "There's still some gaps."

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Anako has told me some things. Her story lines up with yours, though what youse two said is basically the same. What we don't know is what made Raiden change in the first place. Anako has her guesses, but she's not certain." He crosses his arm and moves one hand to his mouth, deep in thought.

"We might never know." Kaoru's head snaps to me. "He might never come back, y'know." There's a twinge of sadness in my voice. I don't know why, I don't want him to coming anywhere near me ever again.

"I'm sure he's planning something." Kaoru mutters. "I can sense it." I just sit there. I can't say anything. All thoughts are just stuck in my throat. I feel like my jaw is wired together. I pull my knees closer to my chest. Kaoru stares at me, waiting for me to say something.

"I'm going for a ride." I manage to choke out after a few minutes.

"That's not a good idea." He catches my arm as I move to stand up. "Not when you're like this."

"I'm fine." My voice shakes. "I just need to get some fresh air." I take Kaoru's hand off my arm. I walk out of my room and down into the garage. I grab a different jacket than normal. I don't put on my shoulder pads or anything. I just want to get into the fresh air already.

* * *

The roads are completely deserted. Though, that's to be expected with it being 3am. Nearly 4am, I correct myself. The fresh air is doing me good. I'm starting to calm down. One by one, it's clearing all thoughts of Raiden from my head. I notice an aura approaching behind me. I look back, there's a D-Wheel tailing me. A invite to duel pops up on my screen. I accept.

"Speed World 2, set!" I set the all important card.

"Duel Mode, on. Autopilot, standby." My D-Wheel boots up into duel mode. I take a deep breath. I am ready for this.

"This lane will be starting a Riding Duel. Will pedestrian vehicles please diverge immediately." The robotic announcer voice comes onto the speakers. The bridge starts changing around us.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" I call out.

"Lane selection. Two optimum, usable lanes. Submitting duel lanes to central. Authorisation."

"A duel will be starting." It drones on repeat. "Will pedestrian vehicles please diverge immediately." Then, it starts repeating the phrase again. The mysterious duelist and I turn into our lane, but he beats me on the corner.

"My turn." My opponent cuts straight to the chase. "I summon Genex Searcher(ATK:1600), set one card and end my turn." Wait. That monster. It's real. I'm dueling a psychic? They shouldn't be materialising monsters. Unless... I try to see if I can recognise his voice. I don't. It's pretty masculine but I can't quite place it.

"My turn." Our Speed Counters increase. "I draw." A Tuner Monster, nice. I look at my hand. A hand full of monsters. I see it. I can summon my strongest Synchro Monster this turn. "From my hand, I activate The Fabled Nozoochee's effect. I send a Fabled Monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Nozoochee(ATK:1200). Now, the other part of Nozoochee's effect activates. If it's Special Summoned in this way, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-lower Fabled Monster from my hand, I choose Fabled Raven(ATK:1300). Next, I activate Fabled Soulkius' effect from the graveyard. By sending two cards from my hand to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Fabled Soulkius(ATK:2200)." Here we go. "Level 2 Raven tunes Level 2 Nozoochee and Level 6 Soulkius. O fabled herald of destruction, arise from the deep and lay waste to all! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Fabled Leviathan(ATK:3000)!" A red-haired demon emerges from a dark void to sit on a throne. A smile breaks out on my face. There's always a satisfaction in summoning such a high level monster. "Leviathan attacks Genex Searcher! Wake of Destruction!" The demon raises his hand and snaps his fingers. A blast of energy is sent spiralling towards the monster, destroying it. The mysterious duelist's life points drop to 2600. I swear that I hear him tut.

"I activate Genex Searcher's effect!" They interrupt me. "When it's destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon a Genex Monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck. I choose Genex Ally Crusher(ATK:1000)."

"I end my turn." I'm in quite a good position. I'm still happy that I managed to summon Leviathan on my first turn. I try pulling up next to this mysterious duelist. I can't get a good look at his face. I think he catches onto what I'm doing, and pulls off.

"My turn." Our Speed Counters go up again. "I summon Genex Ally Birdman(ATK:1400). Crusher's effect activates. When I Normal Summon a Monster with the same Attribute as this card, I can destroy one card on your field. I choose Fabled Leviathan!" There goes all my hard work.

"Fabled Leviathan's effect activates! When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can choose three Fabled Monsters in my graveyard and add them to my hand. I choose Fabled Kushanoo, Nozoochee and Raven." I sigh. This should at least get me somewhere.

"Level 3 Genex Ally Birdman tunes Level 4 Genex Ally Crusher. Earth, fire and light combine into one. Use the power of the trinity to suppress your foes! Synchro Summon! Appear, Genex Ally Triforce(ATK:2500)!" The monster causes a shockwave as it appears. My D-Wheel shakes a little bit. At that moment, I am grateful that my Autopilot is off. "Genex Ally Triforce attacks you directly! Elemental Fury!" I barely miss the brunt of the attack. I start to spin out but I manage to get myself back on track. "I end my turn." I take a deep breath. I can't afford to take another attack like that.

"My turn." Our Speed Counters keep increasing. Though, I still don't have a Speed Spell to make use of it. "I draw." Another Tuner. "Again, I activate Fabled Soulkius' effect. I discard two cards to Special Summon it from the graveyard(ATK:2200)." I take a look at my hand. My mind is still groggy. I can't even remember if I can Synchro anything. I suppose taking less damage is the best I can do right now. "I end my turn."

"My turn." I seriously can't recognise this voice. Wait, something about this aura is familiar but I can't quite place it. It's not Felix, it's not Saoirse, it's not Raiden. It's not anyone that I know. He's from a gang. I know that much. He's clearly out to hurt me. He tracked me down on the highway at 4am for a reason. "I summon Genex Neutron(ATK:1800)." Oh no. I've lost. I try move to the centre of the lane, so I'm not flung off it. "I activate the Speed Spell - Forbidden Lance. By removing one Speed Counter, I can choose one Monster and until the End Phase, it loses 800 ATK but it's unaffected by Speed Spells and Traps. I choose Fabled Soulkius(ATK:2200-1400). I attack Soulkius with Genex Neutron." My life points drop to 1100. I start praying to every God whose name I can remember. I look back. I spot a dent in my D-Wheel. I look back to my screen, it's flickering. I take a deep breath. "Genex Ally Triforce attacks you directly! Elemental Fury!" My D-Wheel's screen immediately blacks out. The force of the attack sends me flying. My D-Wheel flies in one direction while I fly in the other. I hit the ground rolling. Their D-Wheel stops. I finally stop rolling. I can feel them looking at me. There's blood in my eyes. I can't see. I hear their engine moving away. I try lifting my head up to get a final glimpse at them. It's no use. My head smacks back down onto the ground, knocking me out.


	41. My Little Thunderstorm

I awaken to slow, steady beep of a machine. I get the familiar sensation of an IV in my arm. I feel an oxygen mask on my face. I try to move but my entire left side aches. I take a deep breath. I try sitting up. Then, I get the sensation of my head throbbing so I have to lie back down for a few minutes. I move slower this time. It takes me a while to prop up the pillow. I shift around awkwardly before sitting up properly. I try to take a deep breath. My body shakes on the exhale. I just sit there. Hardly a thought goes through my mind. I only move once the door opens. A doctor walks through the door. He looks up from his clipboard.

"Oh you're awake, Ms. Sasaki." He puts on this fake smile that makes my skin crawl. I nod slowly. "We'll need to carry out some tests." Already? I've been awake for all of five minutes. "Where are we?" He asks, checking my pupils. I answer. "Can you repeat the months of the year in reverse?" It takes me a while, but I get there. He then asks me, to touch his finger, which he held out in front of me. Then, to touch my nose as quickly as I can. I fail on my first attempt, but manage to pull it off on my second. "Can you remember what you were doing before the accident?"

"I was dueling." I pause and close my eyes. "They were a psychic duelist, I think."

"Do you remember the outcome of the duel?" He's writing something down on the clipboard.

"No." I exhale deeply. "I can't remember anything past the first few turns of the duel." The doctor nods and keeps writing. My brain is so muddled, it's hard to concentrate on what he's saying. He keeps writing on that clipboard of his. The door opens behind him. Kasumi's head pops in the door. She smiles when she sees me sitting up. The doctor checks his watch.

"Three minutes after visiting hours start, quite impressive, Ms. Hattori." Kasumi laughs. "May I talk to you outside please?"

"Of course." Kasumi fully opens, revealing Kaoru behind her. The doctor leaves the room while Kaoru enters. He takes the empty seat beside the bed. The doctor closes the door behind him. Kaoru stares at me for a few seconds. I just focus on my hands.

"Do you know who did it?" He asks me.

"No." I close my eyes, trying to remember any scrap of information. Their face was blocked by a helmet. I remember that much.

"Security took your D-Wheel. They're making an investigation into the crash." I don't listen to him. Fragments of the duel are floating around in my head. "Yuuka, was it…" He goes to ask a question, but the door opens again. He stops. I know what would come out of his mouth next. Was it deliberate? Was it someone from a gang? I don't know the truth yet, but both seem very likely. Kasumi walks back in, and pulls up another chair.

"Good news, honey. If your CT scan comes back okay, you might get discharged tomorrow." Kasumi puts her hand over mine in an attempt to comfort me. Tomorrow is too far away, I want to go home now. I feel Kasumi's eyes resting on my bandages, she tuts. "You weren't wearing your protective gear." It's not a question. I nod. In the rush to leave, I forgot to put it on. "You should really get some riding leathers." That's not a bad idea, I think as I stare at the bandages completely covering my left arm. I don't pay attention to it much. I feel like I'll forget this exchange in a matter of minutes. Kasumi keeps talking. I don't really pay attention. I can feel Kaoru's gaze on me. I try to remember the duel. Who was that mysterious duelist? I focus on the voice in my memories. My head starts to hurt. I can't. I have no idea who attacked me.

"I'm going to go home and study." Kaoru stands up and leaves, without as much as looking back. Kasumi looks after him, worriedly but doesn't question him.

"I worry about him sometimes." Kasumi sighs. "He seems very stressed lately." I hum in response. My head keeps throbbing.

"I'm going to sleep, my head hurts." I start moving the pillow, in an attempt to lie down.

"Okay, I'll still be here when you wake up, sweetie." I vaguely nod as much as I can without feeling pain. Glimpses of the duel keep coming into my head. I know why, when and where. The only question is who.

* * *

I wake up to Kasumi reading a newspaper beside me. She sees me sitting up, smiles and puts down the paper. I can vaguely make out something about a Ghost in the headline.

"Are you doing okay, honey?"

"I guess." I move to sit up, Kasumi puts her hands forward in an effort to help me up. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six in the afternoon." Kasumi checks her watch. "The nurse let me stay during the gap between the visiting hours, since I'm your mother and all." I merely hum in response, she's not my real mother. "I'll be leaving once someone else arrives. Your friend Yusei said he'd be arriving once visiting hours start again." I smile softly at this thought of seeing Yusei. Kasumi knowingly smiles back at me. "So, you'll want me to be leaving anyway, yeah?"

"Leave me alone." I manage to squawk out. I feel my face heating up. What's wrong with me? I never used to be this bad. Kasumi laughs, muttering something about young love. I pout. When will people leave me alone?

"Are you feeling better after your nap?" I nod. "I figured, as I always say, if in doubt, take a nap." I smile. I've always had the same belief. I suppose I'm more like Kasumi than I realise. I mean, she _did_ give birth to me. Kasumi gives me some updates on things. Kaoru's D-Wheel licence test is tomorrow which is why he left early, lies. The sink broke this morning apparently. She thinks Kaoru broke it but he didn't say anything about it. Yusei offered to fix it. That makes me wonder when it actually broke. Then again, I must have gotten into hospital in the early hours of the morning since I crashed at like 4am. They must have called Yusei. That's the only reason I can think of. Speaking of Yusei, he comes into the room. Kasumi starts to gather her things. She tries to keep it subtle, but it's clear that she's making a beeline for the door very quickly.

"How are you feeling?" Yusei sits down on the seat next to my bed.

"Better. My head hurts a lot." I groan as I move my head too much. Yusei's body reacts slightly as I lean forward. "I've been better." I add.

"I can imagine. You hit your head pretty hard." I put my hand to my head. I feel the bandages that are tightly wound around my head underneath my fingertips.

"I figured." I run my fingertips over the material of the bandages.

"You should really stop dueling psychics who put you in the hospital." A chuckle escapes my mouth. Yusei blinks. "I was being serious."

"Oh." I pause. "Yeah, I mean, I do have an awful habit of that, don't I?" I laugh nervously. "Where are Jack and Crow? I thought they might have come up to see me." I say that. But I'm kinda glad that it's just Yusei and I.

"Crow's in work, and Jack's gone job hunting."

"Oh, I wasn't aware that Jack was doing that." I was out for less than twelve hours, I figured that much. I must have missed a lot then.

"I suppose there's only so much you can take of Crow's complaining." A chuckle comes out of my mouth, I can't quite get a laugh right at the minute. I think Yusei catches onto that. We keep talking. It manages to be quite light-hearted. I didn't see Yusei in the days leading up to the accident, so we do have some catching up to do. He stays with me for the length of the visiting hours. I wonder if he noticed that he was here that long. I didn't. I only notice when one of the nurses came around saying that visiting hours were over. I'm honestly sad when Yusei has to leave. I think he notices.

"Don't worry, you should be out tomorrow." I think Yusei's amused by my pout.

"What if I'm not? If that's the case, I'm jumping out the window." Yusei chuckles, but he knows that I'm completely serious.

"If you're still in here tomorrow, I'll buy you a coffee." Something in Yusei's disposition changes. Is he flirting? I must have banged my head harder than I thought. Yusei Fudo _flirting_ , I would pay good money to see that.

"I want it nice and black, like my heart, yeah?" Yusei shakes his head, but I can tell that he finds my 'joke' funny.

"Sure." He says it like he's trying to convince me otherwise. "Whatever you want." He finally walks to the door. "See you tomorrow." My head starts to tingle all of a sudden. For a second, I see the Yusei from my dream.

"See you tomorrow." I manage to get out. Yusei closes the door behind him. Then, my head starts throbbing. I feel a fire in my chest. I scramble to lie back down. I clench the sheets in my fist as I writhe on the hospital bed, unable to breath. My dream keeps flashing into my head. That image of Yusei, the changed landscape of the City. They keep swirling around. My mother's face appears in my mind before I pass out.

* * *

I'm back in that apartment, overlooking the City. I step towards the window again. It's not my City. It's Neo Domino though, I can tell that. The details blur into one. Yusei calls my name again. He sits there at the breakfast bar, he says nothing. With the casual outfit and longer hair, I almost doubt that it's Yusei. Once again, everything starts to fade away. I look back at Yusei. I sigh in relief, he looks like my Yusei again. I reach out for him. Suddenly, the pitch dark floor beneath me turns into a sandy beach. Yusei stands a good bit away from me. He stares at me. Suddenly, I start to cry. I don't know what brings it on. He throws his helmet towards me. It falls just before me. I kneel down to pick it up. My hands are stained with blood the second I grab the helmet. Blood drips from the helmet onto the sand. My heart stops. Tears start streaming down my face. A shadow looms over me. I hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. A giant screw blocks out the sun, at least I think it's a screw. Staring at it makes me feel uneasy. It turns slowly in the sky. Then I realise, it's going to crash into us. I just stand there helpless as it starts to speed up. I look around me for help, but there's nothing. Whatever that _thing_ is, it only falls faster. It hits the sea, causing waves to come thundering out in all directions. The waves rush towards me. The water turns blood red. As it comes closer, I spot something in the water. A body. I feel vomit rising in my throat. As it rushes towards me, I catch a glimpse of the face. No, that can't be right. It hurls towards me inside the water, its eyes open. I meet my own eyes. The waves hit the beach, water swirling around me. The body in the water, my body, hits me square in the chest, and I'm lost to the waves.


	42. Safe and Sound

I don't sleep. That dream haunts me. Though, how could you when you stare your own dead body in the face? I may have been dead once, but still, the thought of death scares me. Nothing is as permanent or as inevitable as death. It's a lonely few hours as I wait for visiting hours to start. I can't help but ponder what these dreams mean. I saw myself become a Dark Signer in my dreams once upon a time. Could this be happening again? Am I really witnessing the future in these dreams? No, I shake my head. I can't possible stare at my own dead body, and people just don't disappear into thin air.

The quiet gives me a chance to think, while my head doesn't hurt as much at least. There's only two gangs left, the Cross Syndicate and the Cardinal Dragons. If anyone attacked me, it would be them. Then again, it could be a revenge attack for taking down a gang. That leaves three culprits. None of those leaders seemed that bitter as to do something like that. Attack our base, sure. But attack me personally, no. The thought of our base is a curious one. Takumi told me that we use the old Onyx Slicers' base. Since, on a technical level, it was the first gang Team Liberation took over since that's the one Takumi was in charge of. I've never been to the base myself. Black Flag kept a very much neutral relationship with the Onyx Slicers. I suppose you could call it an alliance. Or Takumi and I refusing to fight each other. Even with Kenta as his right hand man, Takumi wouldn't have been able to defeat me in my prime.

To my surprise, Takumi and Kenta are ones who show up during the first part of visiting hours. Kenta hands me a takeaway cup before sitting down. I make out the scent of hot chocolate as I take it. I'm so taken aback that I can barely get my thanks out. Takumi looks like he's in a bad mood today. That's how I know that this visit isn't one of good will.

"How are you doing?" Takumi is the first to speak.

"Head hurts, but I've been worse." I tap my fingers against the coffee cup as I hold it in my hands.

"Yeah, that's why I got you the hot chocolate. All of the caffeine in an Americano would have been too much for you, probably." I thank Kenta again. I wouldn't have expected something that sweet coming from him. Then again, he has a sweet tooth.

"Was the attack deliberate?" Takumi asks me outright.

"Seems like it." I see Kenta glance at Takumi from the corner of his eye.

"Do you know who did it?" Takumi's brow furrows.

"No." I sigh.

"What do you mean _no_?" I notice that Takumi's body language is incredibly stiff.

"I can't remember."

"Why can't you remember? It happened yesterday."

"Takumi, she has a concussion." Kenta's voice is forceful, as if he hopes Takumi would shut up.

"But still, she's a psychic. Her healing factor should have kicked in. That's no excuse." Takumi's gritting his teeth. He doesn't even look at me.

"She was out for a week last time. I think it's fair to say that it doesn't apply here." Kenta starts to turn in his chair. Oh boy, I sense an argument coming. Takumi huffs.

"You should have been able to read their aura." Takumi stares right at me. "Wouldn't you have recognised them?"

"It wasn't an aura that I was familiar with." Takumi narrows his eyes at the response. He lowers his head, letting his yellow blond hair cover his right eye, so I can't look him in the eye.

"So, it was either Cross Syndicate or Cardinal Dragons." I flinch. "That's what you're saying."

"Not necessarily." Kenta answers for me. "It could be someone from the Jackals or the Phantom Riders. You never know."

"Why would they attack her directly? We have a base if they want their territory back." Kenta stays silent. Takumi runs his hand through his hair. "This whole thing is giving me a headache." Kenta looks at me and sighs. He shakes his head before standing up.

"I think it's best that we leave." He looks at Takumi, who seems confused by this. Takumi, reluctantly, stands up. "I hope you get out today, Sasaki. I know you hate hospitals." Kenta nods at me before he leaves. Takumi follows him out the door without saying anything.

I sit there for a while without doing anything. Kenta Morinaga sure is an enigma. Everything he does seems to do contradicts each other. He claims to hate me and my loud mouth. That he despises me and everything I've ever said and done. That he will never agree with me. But, then. He'll side with me over Takumi. He'll do little things for me like getting me a hot chocolate. He'll always ask if I'm okay during missions. Then, immediately turn around saying I'm doing everything wrong.

Why?

What's the point of all this? Why would he make me believe that he harbours anything more than contempt towards me? What does he get out of this? Does he want me to trust him? Kenta knows something. He warned me that something is wrong on the inside. No, not something. _Someone._ He obviously wants me on his side. Why? What does he gain? An ally, I suppose. What if it's Kenta who's doing all of this? Going behind of all our backs. Get me on his side, only to stab me in the back.

Am I wrong?

Or, is he getting me to trust him so we can figure out what's actually going on? I sigh. When will anything Kenta does make sense to me?

* * *

I get discharged in the afternoon. Yusei just happened to be there when I was officially discharged, so he helps me grab my things. Kaoru asks Yusei if I can stay at Poppo Time again. Something about him not wanting me to get attacked again. He says that with him, Jack and Crow around, I'll be safe. I know why he does this. He doesn't want me going back to the house and possibly putting Kasumi in danger. In case, the person who attacked me decides to finish the job. Yusei agrees. Though, from what Crow told me, he would never have said no anyway.

It's quite late by the time I get back to Poppo Time. I immediately take my seat back on my favourite couch. Jack and Crow ask me the same questions that everyone else has already asked. How much do I remember? Do I know who attacked me? I tell them the same thing I tell everyone else.

"Why were you driving around at 4am anyway?" Crow asks.

"Couldn't sleep, I was having some weird ass dreams." He seems to take that as a reasonable explanation. "Right, I'm going to get a glass of water." I try to sit up, only to get the situation of wanting to faint, vomit and die at the same time.

"Sit your ass back down. I'mma get you your glass of water." I sink back into the chair, holding my head as Crow goes into the kitchen.

* * *

Jack and Crow eventually head upstairs for the night. Yusei continues on the new model of the D-Wheel. He's built the start of a frame with the engine inside. I'm not the most gifted person when it comes to mechanics so I don't really pay attention to it. Yusei glances at the stairs every once in awhile, as if he's waiting for something.

"You can stay in my bed tonight, Yuuka." He says after a while.

"I think we've already established that I'm perfectly fine on the couch." I sigh.

"I'm just saying." He looks up at me. "It'll be safer upstairs." He's got me there. I cross my arms. He smiles, he knows he's won.

"I guess, just for tonight." It's then that it sinks in, that I'll be sleeping in Yusei's bed, in Yusei's room, where everything smells like Yusei. I cover the lower half of my face in a vague attempt to hide the strange giddiness bubbling up inside me.

"Are you okay?" Yusei takes a seat beside me on the couch, which only makes me more embarrassed.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." I move my hands into my lap, and take a deep breath. Yusei doesn't seem to believe me but says nothing. In fact, he doesn't say anything for a while. We just sit there in a comfortable silence.

"You had me worried then. You really have a knack for trouble, don't you?" There's a small nostalgic smile on his face.

"I mean, if the entirety of our childhoods didn't tell you that, I don't know what to tell you."

"That's true." He laughs. I think of all the times I got in trouble while at Martha's. Too many to remember. I don't think I can put off going back to visit Martha for much longer.

"I think you worry too much." Yusei's eyes widen slightly. "I mean, it's me."

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Something in Yusei's eyes flicker. "I care a lot about you, Yuuka." His words drift off into nothing as we look into each other's eyes. I'm suddenly aware of how close he is to me. We're close enough that our shoulders graze off each other. I bite my lip. Yusei's gaze drops to my lips, then it slowly moves back to my eyes. I swallow. My heart starts beating faster. I don't know what compels me, but I kiss him. So many feelings bloom in my chest. For a second, I almost lose myself. I pull away.

It hits me all at once, what I've done. My hands start shaking. My body trembles with every exhale. Yusei's eyes and aura dart and flicker with so many emotions that I can barely keep track of them all. I go to speak. Say something, anything. An apology, a confession, anything. But, all that comes out is a mess of letters jumbled together.

"Do you remember?" Yusei speaks slowly as if he can barely get the words out. "After our duel, do you remember what you said?" Here we go. Lie, or tell him the truth? At this exact moment, right here, there's only one answer for me.

"I told you that I loved you." Yusei's eyes widen. He didn't expect me to say that. My hands still shake, but I keep going. "I remembered. I was so scared. All I thought about was how you felt." The words keep falling from my mouth. But I have to stop. My hands start shaking to the point that I can't control them. Yusei takes my hands, holding together in his. His shoulder shake ever so slightly as he exhales.

"I'm glad you remembered. Because, what if I told you I felt the same way?" Yusei looks up from our hands to my face. My heart stops. I just sit there, staring at him for a few seconds. I can't believe it. I feel someone's going to jump out with a camera, telling me this was just some cruel prank.

"I would be very happy." The thought of those feelings being mutual brings a smile to my face. Yusei smiles too. And if that isn't the most beautiful sight I have ever seen, then I don't know what is. I don't know what compels me, but I start giggling. I put my hand on my chest in an effort to stop it, but it continues. The look in Yusei's eyes is so warm, so much that I feel my heart skip my beat. I finally pinpoint that one emotion in his eyes. That one that I could never quite place. Love.

"It's getting pretty late." Yusei says once my giggles start to calm down.

"Yeah, it must be." I sigh.

"You were told to get plenty of rest."

"I was also told not to drink alcohol or drive, let me have something please." Yusei shakes his head, but I can tell that he's trying not to chuckle. He looks back at me, eyebrow raised. "Ugh, fine." I roll my eyes.

It takes me a few minutes to stand, with my constant headache trying to murder me. I notice that my bad ankle twinges every few steps. Yusei insists that I go up backwards on the ladder going upstairs. How is he able to tell that my ankle is still bothering me? Going up is very uncomfortable. The rungs of the ladder hurt my back, and my bad arm aches as I hoist myself up. Eventually, I get to the top. Yusei barely takes a second to get up, making me feel a little embarrassed.

Yusei opens the door to his room for me. It occurs to me that I've never seen his room before. It's pretty empty, which I expected. I think it's the poverty in early childhood if you ask me. He gets me out an old shirt and sweatpants for me to sleep in. I readily take it. I place the pile of clothes on the bed before pulling Yusei into a hug. He pulls me in even tighter. In the moment, I feel safe. Like nothing can touch me. I love, and I am loved. There isn't a better feeling in the world. I bury my head into Yusei's shoulder. It's such a nice feeling. Nothing will ever top this.

"Can you kiss you again?" Yusei pulls back to ask me. My smile is so big, I can't contain it.

"Of course."


	43. The Proof of Evolution

It's been a few days, but I'm still crashing at Poppo Time. I've been promoted from the couch to Yusei's room, which is nice. That's one of the perks of dating, I suppose. I've gotten to the point where I can stand long enough to cook without being moments away from passing out from a headache. Since Yusei and I are the only ones up, I throw some eggs on for the both of us. It's really quiet this morning. Yusei wraps his arms around my waist as I stand at the stove. I have to cough away a grin.

"How are the eggs coming along?" He asks.

"They haven't complained." Yusei looks so done with me. "They're fine, you can't really get eggs wrong." Well, Yusei might.

Last night was the first time that we shared the bed. It's a single bed so it was a tight squeeze. But on the bright side, it did get rid of any of that initial awkwardness that comes from going from friends to dating.

"When are we telling them?" Yusei rests his head on my shoulder. This got brought up the day after we started dating, we haven't come to a solid decision yet.

"Leave it another while." I sigh. "I'd rather not deal with their reaction right now."

"Did you know that they have a bet going on about us?"

"Oh I know. Do you know who won though?"

"If memory serves me right, it's Crow. They made that bet way back in the Satellite, so I don't really remember the specifics."

"Yeah, that makes sense." I nod. "Since he dubbed himself my wingman, I figured it would have suited him for us to get together sooner rather than later."

"What about Kaoru?" I get a shiver when Yusei asks me.

"I'd like to say never, but that's not really possible. He's being left until last." I sigh. "He might try to murder you if he finds out, so keep an eye out for that. If you happen to see Light End Dragon or Judgement Dragon, run for your life."

"He can't be that bad." I actually turn to face Yusei, and I shake my head. "Wouldn't he be able to hear your thoughts? Are you sure he doesn't already know?"

"Trust me, I'd know. We talk in our heads sometimes. Mainly when he wants a distraction though." I start plating up the eggs. I've lied. We talk about gang stuff a lot, but I can't tell Yusei that. "He can't hear my thoughts most of the time. What can I say? I like my privacy." Yusei hums into my shoulder, still not letting go of me.

* * *

In the afternoon, the guys are working on the new engine. They're making a lot of noise, honestly they're starting to give me a headache. I'm slowly stirring a fresh cup of coffee, rubbing my temple in the hopes of warding the pain away. Once I drop the spoon on the counter, an explosion erupts from the basement, flooding the kitchen with black smoke. I sigh, grabbing a towel and whipping it around, trying to keep the smoke away from the smoke detector. I open the windows, getting rid of some of it. I walk down into the garage, it's the second time this week.

"Are you two okay?" Yusei asks, taking off his goggles. He's covered in dirt and soot.

"I should be asking you that." I say, sighing.

"Somewhat." Crow says, beside Yusei. Jack rises up from the scrap on the floor, I shake my head.

"What happened, Yusei?" That's what I want to know. I'm standing beside Yusei, looking at the largest pile of scrap. I assume that's where the model originally was.

"Our engine…" Aw, he sounds so sad. I kneel down with him. He's digging through the pile, searching for some parts that still work, I assume.

"It's your fault for pushing it to the extremes!" Crow instantly pushes the blame on Jack. I look at Yusei, who's just staring at the pile. He glances at me from the side of his eyes. He's already done with their shit.

"What? You're the one who wanted the accelerator at full throttle!" Jack raises his voice. Here we go again.

"Oh, I didn't know Jack Atlas was the type of person who does whatever anyone says!" I look up at the window, more people are starting to stand in front of the window. I sigh. "Any sane person would lay off the accelerator when he hears strange noises!" Okay, the blame going on Jack is fair.

"What? You want to fight?" Jack's voice raises again, and grabs the front of Crow's shirt. I stand up to try and separate them.

"You guys again!" The landlady bursts through the door.

"Zora!" Crow exclaims.

"What a nosy granny!" Jack mutters. Dude, she's letting you stay here for free. I would not be complaining.

"How dare you say that! I'm letting you stay because you know Martha! If you're going to cause problems, then leave!" Zora starts shouting at Jack. I mean, she's not really out of line in doing that. This much space for free, people would kill for that.

"Wait! This was an accident! The new engine-" I start looking down at the scrap pile on the floor.

"Making excuses already? A real man takes responsibility for his actions!" Yusei starts moving towards Zora.

"I'm sorry, Zora." Yusei stands behind Crow, almost hiding himself. He's always hated being given out to, especially when we were younger. "We went too far with our tests."

"Oh, Yusei. It's okay if you make one or two mistakes." Zora starts walking down the ramp towards us. "Mistakes are the best shortcuts to success!" She walks up to Yusei and starts whispering to him. "I'm just trying to save face. Since I'm the landlord, I'm required to yell at you." I manage to overheard. Bless, she favours him so much over the other guys. Yusei nods, while Jack and Crow just sigh. I hear sirens approaching us before stopping outside. Zora is the first to go outside, with the four of us right behind her.

"Security? Sorry. We didn't intend to cause so much trouble that Security had to get involved." Zora apologises to who I recognise as Mikage along with another officer.

"You failed again?" The other officer directs the question towards the guys. "Don't worry. We're here for other reasons."

"I see." Zora mutters.

"We need to talk to the four of you." Mikage turns her gaze to us. Four? Is she including me in this too?

* * *

"You're developing D-Wheels as usual?" Once inside the garage, the officer, whose name is Ushio I learned, asks.

"Yeah. In order to win the Grand Prix next year, we need a new engine." Yusei picks up a piece of scrap from the pile in the middle of the floor.

"Three people form a team to enter. Since we're upgrading three vehicles, there's never enough time." That's why they're making a new model and applying that to their own. At least, that's what I think they're doing. I'm hopeless when it comes to this kind of stuff.

"The first-ever Grand Prix will be held here in Neo Domino City. The winners will become legends in the Riding Duel community. Our dream is to get that glory!" I stare at the poster behind Jack. Crow has put a few up around the garage, almost to remind them of what they're working towards. Honestly, I think Crow's the most excited about the WRGP out of the three of them.

"But you're building machines and holding jobs at the same time? Aren't you guys famous enough to get sponsors?" Ushio asks, it's a fair question.

"We don't need them. It's only worth it if we win the tournament with our own strength." Crow replies.

"Exactly. The City and the Satellite have finally become one. That means we're finally citizens. So how can we contribute to the City?" You saved the City from certain doom, I think that's enough, Yusei. Then again, from what I understand, there wasn't much of a choice. "We think we'll find that out by winning this tournament. That's why we want to do this by ourselves!"

"I expected nothing less." Mikage comments.

"You're finally showing some swagger." Ushio adds. There's something off here. They aren't here just for a chat.

"Anyway, why do you want to talk to us?" Jack cuts straight to the chase, obviously feeling the same way I do.

"Have you heard the rumours about Ghost?" Ushio finally asks.

"Ghost?" Yusei questions. I look at him, he should know.

"I heard about him. He appears on the highways at night, challenges people to a duel and causes them to crash." Crow answers Yusei. I find it surprising that Yusei doesn't know. It's been in the papers for a solid week now. Then again, I actually try to read the papers.

"After Neo Domino City and the Satellite became one, it's no longer illegal to have Riding Duels on the highways." Ushio confirms Crow's story. "It's so popular that we built special courses. As an official World Grand Prix card, Speed World was upgraded to Speed World 2. D-Wheelers from around the world are living it up in the City."

"Some of them must want to defeat the other D-Wheelers in advance." Crow ponders. That's not it.

"The problem is his method. In a normal Riding Duel, there can never be an accident that hurts the opponent." Mikage explains. Wait.

"So Ghost is using an illegal method to make the opponent crash?" Jack asks. I know why they've brought me into this.

"That's exactly what it means, Mr. Atlas." Mikage answers him.

" _Mr. Atlas?_ C'mon Chief…" Ushio whines, but Mikage ignores it.

"Aside from this, we don't have much information on Ghost. All but one of his victims are in critical condition." Here we go, Mikage turns to look at me. "Yuuka. What do you remember of the incident?"

"What I said still stands. I remember nothing except that I was dueling someone. No more details than that." It's better that everyone thinks that I was attacked by Ghost, rather than some kid from a gang. This is a believable lie. It will hide my tracks for now.

"Wait a second." Crow speaks up. Shit, does he know that I'm lying? "Did you come here to ask for our help in solving your case?" I want to sigh in relief.

"Excellent guess. What do you say, Yusei?" Funny how Ushio turns to Yusei for the opinion of the entire group.

"I don't mind, but…" Classic Yusei.

"We're busy getting ready for next year's Grand Prix! Yusei does mechanical development. In order to fund this project, Jack and I don't sleep much so that we can work at other jobs!" Crow constantly complains that Jack does nothing. "We can't cross this bridge!" He starts pushing Ushio and Mikage up the ramp and out the door. Yusei and I just look at each other and shake our heads. "You're interfering with our work! Go home!" Crow locks the door after them. "Let's continue with our tests." Yusei and Jack agree with him.

* * *

I'm woken by Yusei opening the door of the bedroom.

"Yuuka, you need to wake up." He comes over to the edge of the bed.

"Why can't you lie down and go to sleep like a normal person?" Despite my sleepiness, I manage to reach out and grab his arm in an attempt to get him to lie down with me.

"Yuuka, you need to get up now." Yusei throws on his jacket, making me take my arm back. Huffing, I sit up.

"What's going on?" I rub the sleep out of my eyes. I catch a glimpse at the clock on the nightstand with the light coming through the door. 3am, something must be very wrong.

"Ushio got attacked, we think it's Ghost." It takes a few seconds for the news to set in.

"Oh shit." I blurt out.

"I'm heading to the hospital with Jack now. Do you want to come with me? You'll be safer that way." Without a second thought, I get up and start getting ready. Yusei goes back downstairs to give me some privacy.

When I get back downstairs, I'm meet by Yusei and Jack in their normal clothes, well Jack's in his riding suit but still. Meanwhile, I'm just in jeans and one of Yusei's shirts. Yusei gives me a spare helmet that matches his. On the way to the hospital, I cling onto Yusei for dear life. Not because we're going too fast. But because there's not a lot of space, so it gives me an excuse to do so. As soon as we burst through the doors of the hospital, Crow calls out to us.

"Is it true that someone hurt Ushio?" Jack asks.

"Yes." There's a sadness in Mikage's eyes.

"How is he?" Yusei asks, but he already knows that it's not good.

"He's getting emergency treatment." As soon as Crow answers, Ushio gets wheeled in on a trolley. He's covered head to toe in bandages. A small gasp escapes my mouth. "Ushio!"

"Get out of the way! We're going into emergency surgery!" The staff try to usher the guys away as they approach the trolley.

"Ushio, what happened?" Yusei asks the barely conscious Ushio, I'm surprised that he's alert enough to respond.

"Yusei, don't use Synchros against Ghost." What? What even is Ghost?

"Synchro?" Yusei moves closer to Ushio. I grab his sleeve, trying to get him away from the trolley.

"Don't talk! Let's go!" The staff manage to get Ushio into the operation room.

"Why did you let Ushio do that?" Jack turns to Mikage.

"He felt that we shouldn't rely on you anymore. So, he used himself as bait. It's my fault." I hear the guilt in Mikage's tone. What exactly is Ghost? I don't have the answer to that. But I know that he needs to be stopped.

* * *

There's a silence in the garage as we all stand looking at each other. We're all at a loss for words. Crow seems really shaken up. His fist is clenched really tight, his knuckles are starting to turn white.

"Damn!" Crow slams his fist against the wall. "It's my fault that Ushio is hurt! If I said that we would cooperate…"

"Stop it, Crow!" Yusei tries to calm Crow down. "What's done is done. Since Ushio is badly hurt, that means Ghost is very skilled."

"Just look at what Ghost did to Yuuka, there's no doubt of that." Jack chimes in. I say nothing.

"So we should just stay here and sit quietly?" Guilt radiates off Crow. It makes me feel bad for lying, saying that I was attacked by Ghost. Yusei stands up from the desk, and throws Crow his helmet.

"I never said that we should stay here and sit quietly, Crow!" Yusei says, putting on his gloves.

"We're the only ones good enough to get his revenge!" I hate to say it, but I think Jack is right. Even Security can't handle this. Though, is that really a surprise to anyone?

"Yusei! Jack!" Crow smiles. There's a sense of adrenaline in the air.

"But first, Yuuka." Yusei turns to me. "I'll drop you home before we go looking for Ghost. You'll be safe there."

"I'll be perfectly fine." I cross my arms. "I don't see the problem."

"We can't protect you if you stay here. Kaoru will keep you safe at home."

"Then, just bring me with you. I want to help." I pout.

"No, I don't want to risk you getting hurt again." Something in Yusei's eyes tells me not to argue.

"Fine."

* * *

It's still the middle of the night when Yusei drops me off at the door. He didn't say a thing the entire ride over. His mouth forms a hard line. Did I make him mad?

"I'm sorry." He finally says. I look up at him, surprised. "You're still not fully healed. You need to be kept safe, that's what matters right now."

"It's okay. I know what you meant. I just sick of being coddled, you know." Yusei nods. Kaoru opens the door. He rubs his eyes. I almost snicker at his bedhead.

"It's the middle of the night, why are you doing this to me?" He shakes his head at me.

"I'll explain in the morning." I say goodbye to Yusei before heading inside. I keep it short to avoid Kaoru's suspicion.

"Right, I'm going to bed. Do whatever you want." He waves his hand, before heading back upstairs. I stay downstairs. I'm too awake to even think of going back to sleep. I glance at the mirror over the little table beside the door. I'm honestly taken aback. I look like I've suddenly gained ten years. Only to blink again and find that I look exactly the same as I did this morning.

I notice the door to the garage is only closed over. I look at the stairs and listen. Kaoru's gone back to bed. I open the door and peer in. Kasumi's car is gone, another business trip I'd assume. Kaoru's D-Wheel sits in the middle of the garage underneath a sheet. I spot his riding jacket, complete with shoulder and elbow pads, sitting on the mini-fridge. I pick it up and stare at it, then back at the D-Wheel. I want to help. I pull the sheet off Kaoru's D-Wheel and throw the jacket on. I'm going to help Yusei, whether he likes it or not.

* * *

The sun has officially risen. The roads are completely silent. Then again, it's the weekend. Only a few hours until Kaoru gets up and I'm busted. Don't use Synchros. That's what Ushio said. The more I think about that, the more unsettled I become. I don't know why, but something about it rubs me the wrong way.

"Kaoru!" It takes all of me not to scream or speed away. "Hey! Have you seen-"

"Good morning, Crow. How are you doing?" I really feel like screaming, but I try to keep calm and act like nothing's wrong.

"Yuuka!" Jack calls out to me. "Didn't Yusei drop you off at your house?" Boy, am I in for it. Think of an excuse, any excuse. That unsettling feeling washes over me again. Some kind of android appears over the lane next to us. I spot the red blur of Yusei's D-Wheel just behind it.

"What's that?" Jack and Crow follow my line of sight.

"I've never seen a monster like that before." Crow mutters.

"That's Ghost, the man who defeated Ushio!" Jack proclaims.

"But what is that monster?" Once I say that, Crow starts fiddling around with his screen, looking at the details of their duel. From what I can see, they only just started.

"A monster made of five cards? Hey Jack! What is that monster?" Crow looks back towards Jack.

"I don't know. I've never seen that monster before. But we'll find out its power in his duel against Yusei!" Jack starts leading us to the bridge on which Yusei is dueling.

"Don't let your guard down, Yusei!" Crow says more to himself than Yusei. We end up cruising behind the duel ahead of us. I bring up the details on my own screen in front of me.

I can barely pay attention. I start to disassociate. That monster, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity, that's what Ghost called it. It scares me. I don't know why. It feels like something that once haunted my dreams. What's so special about this monster?

"All right! Their monsters now have the same amount of attack points!" I hear Crow shouting. I look up. Stardust Dragon soars above us.

_Don't use Synchros._

Ushio's words ring in my head. I go to speak, but only muffled sounds escape. I look between Yusei, Crow and Jack. They focus only on the duel.

"Stardust Dragon now has higher attack points!" No. It's not going to work. It only makes me lose my grip on reality more. _Synchro killer._ Those words repeat in my head. That's what's so special about this monster. It's only a matter of time.

"It's no use, Yusei Fudo! Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is immortal. You finally realised the terror of my Machine Emperor. But the real horror is only starting!" I hear the robotic voice of Ghost chime. My head starts to hurt.

"If you have so much power, why do you keep targeting D-Wheelers?" Yusei shouts back at Ghost. No. It's Synchros.

"D-Wheelers? I'm not going after D-Wheelers. I'm just eliminating unnecessary things in the world." Ghost shoots right back.

"Unnecessary things?" Yusei repeats. My entire world shakes.

"That's right. Useless things called Synchro Monsters! Synchro Monsters are proof of humanity's newest evolution! We don't need things like that in this world! Taste the power of a Synchro killer, Yusei!" That's what Ghost is after.

"Synchro killer?"

"Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect activates!" Streams of light emerge from Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity and wrap around Stardust.

"Stardust Dragon!" Ushio's words ring true too late.

"Once per turn, Wisel can absorb a Synchro Monster on your field!" This is the power of a Synchro killer.

"What?" Stardust gets dragged into that _thing's_ chest cavity. "Stardust Dragon... This is what Ushio was talking about. It's a robot that captures Synchro Monsters!"

"Wisel gains attack points equal to the attack points of the Synchro Monster it equips. Stardust Dragon has 2500 ATK. Therefore, Wisel gains 2500 ATK(ATK:2500-5000)!" The ultimate counter to Synchros.

"It absorbed Stardust's attack points!" He never stood a chance. The ultimate ace in this day and age. Our world is built on Synchro. I hear Jack speak, but I can't make it out. All I can focus on, whether I like or not, is that monstrosity.

"Go, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity! Attack Yusei Fudo directly! Yusei Fudo, your own monster's power will defeat you! Machine Emperor's single strike will end you!" I can't bare to see this, but my eyes don't move.

"I activate the trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! When your monster attacks, this card negates that attack. After it activates, it can be set again!" I shake as I exhale. That was close.

"You're stubborn. I set two cards and end my turn." That's certainly a way to describe Yusei. I almost hear my heart thumping in my chest despite the wind blowing in my face. My head starts throbbing again. I'm not supposed to driving because of the concussion. It's not that. It's that monster, I can feel it. The glowing green energy coming from that chest cavity shaped like an infinity symbol. It hurts me. I don't know why. It strikes such fear and pain into me. Why?

"I activate the Field Spell Speed World 2's effect! By removing 7 Speed Counters, I can draw a card from my deck!" I'm able to tune enough that I hear Yusei. My heart slows to a steady beat. Everything suddenly becomes clear.

"What?" I look over to Crow. His Signer mark glows.

"The mark of the Crimson Dragon?" So does Jack's.

"The mark of the Crimson Dragon." Their marks disappear, allowing the full brand of the Crimson Dragon to form on Yusei's back. "I see! You're lending me your strength! Ghost, no matter what you try, you can't stop our evolution! This is proof! Draw! Appear, Savior Dragon(ATK:0)! I activate the trap Synchro Material! This lets me use a monster on your field to Synchro Summon!"

"What!?" Ghost proclaims.

"Return, Stardust Dragon!"

"What? You're taking back Stardust Dragon?" He killed the Synchro killer.

"Level 1 Savior Dragon tunes Level 8 Stardust Dragon and Level 1 Unicycular! Shining stars come together to illuminate a new miracle! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Arrive, Savior Star Dragon(ATK:3800)! Since Machine Emperor lost Stardust, it loses attack points(ATK:5400-2900)!" Savior Star Dragon? Huh. A perk of being chosen by an ancient deity, I assume.

"But due to Wisel Guard 3's effect, it will block your attack!" I was out for a while, so I missed a lot. I just go with it.

"Too bad, but Savior Star Dragon negates your monster's effect!"

"Even if you negate it, your attack can't defeat me!" I need to stop spacing out during duels.

"Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is a monster made of five cards. Now that your effect is negated, I can attack any of its parts!" You go, honey! Honestly, it feels so good to call Yusei that now.

"You knew that?" Anyone actually following the duel probably figured that out.

"I'm attacking Machine Emperor's head! Go, Savior Star Dragon! Attack Wisel Top! Shooting Blaster Sonic!" Ghost's life points drop to 0. He starts spinning out, only to fly off the track, down into the forest below. "What?" Crow and Jack stop and get off their D-Wheels, running up to the barrier. They stare down into the forest below. An explosion and billow of smoke follow.

"Oh no!" Crow cries.

"We have to save him!" Jack shouts to the rest of us. Already, I'm fiddling with the controls on this D-Wheel. I'm not used to its layout at all.

"We're not going to do anything here! I'll call Mikage on my our way down there."

* * *

We ditch our D-Wheels as close to the billow of smoke as we can. We sprint through the forest, following the smoke. As we get closer, I can feel the smoke in my lungs.

"Are you okay?" Yusei shouts as we spot the wreckage in the forest. We sprint the last few meters.

"We'll take you to the hospital right away!" Crow moves towards Ghost, reaching out. His fingertips graze his limp arm, causing it to fall off. "What's this?" Crow cries.

"What is he?" Jack exclaims.

"It's a robot!" Yusei answers. My hands scramble for my phone. Call Mikage, that's all my mind is saying.

"A robot." Jack echoes.

"What's going on?" Crow mutters. I don't know yet, but I have a bad feeling about this.

* * *

It's silent when we get back to Poppo Time. Aki, Rua and Ruka are already there. We left the huge gang of Security officers at the wreckage. Mikage said that she'd come over later to talk about what happened. I'm waiting for someone to say something. About how I stole Kaoru's D-Wheel to go look for Ghost, when I specifically told not to. It's probably going to be Yusei, so he's waiting until we're alone.

"Yuuka, what do you think you were doing?" To my surprise, Jack steps up to the plate.

"Helping you guys." I take a seat on the couch. I'm in a lot of pain, but I won't tell them that. I was running for gods know how long, and then I was on a D-Wheel for longer. So, naturally, everything hurts.

"We told you to stay at home." His eyebrows are furrowed.

"How did you expect me to just sit at home? While you're out there looking for Ghost, getting into all kinds of trouble."

"Because you haven't recovered yet. You were told not to drive and to rest." Jack steps closer to me. I sigh.

"You think you're the boss of me, huh? Well, big news, I'm not a little kid anymore. I don't need all of you to take care of me. I can do that for myself." I stand up to meet Jack's level, though he still towers over me.

"Then explain why you keep getting hurt." I grit my teeth.

"You know what? I don't have to." I throw my hands up. "I'm going upstairs." I move as calmly as I can to the bathroom. I lock the door, using the shitty lock that barely works half of time. The tears that threatened to fall start moving down my cheeks before dropping onto my lap.

* * *

I keep staring at the photos of the Ghost wreckage. Why did Ghost make me feel so weird? What even was that thing?

"It's a Ridingroid that Security is currently developing." Ushio explains. That doesn't help me. Apparently, most of his injuries were on the surface. His head didn't get messed up like mine, so he got out a lot sooner.

"Ridingroid?" Yusei asks.

"It's a robot that handles D-Wheel violations." Ushio tell us what that is, but it doesn't give me the answer I'm looking for. What if it was the monster he was using? Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity.

"The test machine was stolen about ten days ago. I'm surprised that it's Ghost." Ten days? I guess that's why they think that I'm a victim of Ghost.

"Who did this?" Jack asks. I'm imagining that they don't know because there's no suspects.

"I don't know. Real damage from dueling... A test robot stolen from Security... There are a lot of mysteries." Only one of those things is a mystery. I know from first-hand experience. "If it only left behind a memory chip."

"There was no data on the Riding Duel chip." I sigh as Yusei tosses the chip to Ushio. "It's programmed to wipe all the data when it loses a duel." Ushio examines the chip before realising what it is.

"You're not allowed to steal the evidence!" He shouts.

"Don't be so uptight. Yusei's skills are better than Security's analysis." Crow comments. That's true but also illegal.

"That's true, but…" Ushio trails off as Mikage sighs.

"Are you okay?" Aki turns to me and asks. I nod. I only came down as Ushio and Mikage arrived. That's only because Yusei managed to convince me to leave the bathroom. I don't know how long I was in there.

"I wanted to see that robot." Rua stares at the picture of Ghost that he picked up.

"Rua! People were hurt!" Ruka scolds.

"Sorry."

"But who and why would anyone want a robot that captures Synchro Monsters?" Crow asks. Someone who thinks that Synchros are the enemy. Something inside me tells me that.

"I don't know, but it's clear that there's a new enemy." Jack answers. I sigh.

"Exactly. And if he's going to threaten our City, we'll keep fighting!" Yusei says it with determination in his eyes. They want to protect the City. I do that in my own way, I suppose. Fighting gangs, keeping them off the streets. Maybe I'll protect this City in that way too. I owe it that much. Considering that I almost destroyed it before. It feels so long ago now. But my demons are never ones to stay away for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to canon folks! But, how much am I going to change? That is the real question.


	44. Eyes on You

Kaoru hasn't talked to me in a week. You know, since I _stole_ his precious D-Wheel and all. Therefore, I've had to cling onto other people for company. So today, instead of spending my every waking moment around Yusei, not that he complains, I've decided to spend some time with Aki. She just started back in Duel Academy, so I haven't seen her much recently. She sighs as she moves books from her backpack onto her desk. They're very chunky textbooks with long titles. I spot a Physics book, a Chemistry one, a Biology one and even an English one. I start reading off the titles as best I can. I say that because I've thrown myself on Aki's bed. My head passes the edge of the bed so I have to read them upside down.

"Damn, they're all so advanced. I imagine being placed above your age group is hard. Then again, it's probably not a problem for you." Aki shrugs her shoulders.

"I covered some of the content before, in my own time. It's not so bad." She says but there's something in her tone that tells that everything's not all great. She was so excited to go back, I hate to see her like this.

"What's wrong?" She sighs again.

"I don't know." She starts. "I can't help but think of what happened last time. I know that my classmates are the same way."

"Are they bullying you?" I sit up very quickly, letting her know that I'm ready to fight everyone in her class.

"Not really." I lie back down, head dangling over the edge of the bed. "It's just their stares. I feel like that they can't help but think of me as the Witch." She starts shaking her head. "I'm not sure that I can fit in anymore." I go to say something, but she beats me to the punch. "Why did you never go back?"

"I never wanted to be there in the first place." I stare at the ceiling. "I got tired of people's prejudiced bullshit. I knew that, with my powers, it would only get worse. I saw how you got treated. I knew that I wouldn't be able for it so I left." I look at Aki, she seems taken aback. "But don't listen to me. People's opinion of you doesn't matter. I know what you're thinking." I sigh. I look at Aki. "Don't give up your education just because of what people think of you. I realise that I'm being a bit of a hypocrite here, but Duel Academy won't help me to get where I want to be."

"I know what you mean." Aki says solemnly. "But I just think it might be easier to be home schooled. My parents asked me if I wanted to do that, but I said I wanted to return to Duel Academy. Now, I'm not sure that I made the right choice."

"You're wrong." Aki seems taken aback, not expected such a strong response. "That's never going to solve the problem. If you never show them that you've changed, they're always going to have the same opinion of you. It's just an endless cycle. It's better for you, it's better for me, it's better for all psychics if you just hold your head up high and make it seem like nothing's wrong. Besides, I just think you need a confidence boost." I smile at Aki, her face lights up.

"Thank you." She says. "I mean it. I'm lucky to have a friend like you." I get more flustered from that comment than I probably should, but I don't care.

"I'm lucky to have you." I manage to get out. "Hey." I sit up properly on the bed. "We should go shopping again this weekend. I don't know about you, but that always makes me feel better."

"Sounds like a plan." Aki smiles again. I want her to keep smiling, I think.

* * *

I stand in the Daimon Area, for the first time in a long while. Was it the Fortune Cup? Was that the last time? I used to live not five minutes from here, but I couldn't stand to be here. Too noisy. But I need to be here today. I'm going to find who attacked me. This was the first place I could think of. That person was a psychic, this is where the outcasts of society like to hang out, seems like a reasonable conclusion. I'm waiting for Takumi. I wanted someone to join while I hunt down the little shit. Kaoru isn't talking to me, Kenta is a no-no, and everyone else thinks I was attacked by Ghost. Sure, Takumi isn't a psychic, but he's the best option I have right now.

I've mostly recovered. My ankle is still playing up a bit, though that's carrying over from the whole thing with Ghost. Running in the forest for so long wasn't a good idea. I'm grateful that this time, my powers aren't affected. I can still pick out every aura in this open space. I scan the area for that one aura. The one that was vaguely familiar to me. That person who attacked me knew me. It must be someone from a gang. But whether they attacked me because of Black Flag or Team Liberation is another story. I've tried to pinpoint it. Every person I saw while attacking gangs. It must be someone from the first two gangs. Though, Takumi insists it's from a gang that we haven't fought yet. Some lingering feeling tells me otherwise.

"Hey Yuuka, long time no see." Despite being in a secluded corner of the Daimon Area _and_ wearing sunglasses, I still somehow managed to get noticed.

"Ah Nico! Haven't seen you in months." He's the doctor around these parts. He only deals with psychics, since it's a demographic that most doctors won't even look at. Explains how he found me. He uses ability to read auras to help any psychic who needs it.

"Oh, I know. I heard you've been in hospital twice in the last few months, and you didn't come see me. Unbelievable!" He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Thought you were my best customer."

"I've put those days behind me, Nico." I lie. I'm still in a gang, just not Black Flag.

"Ah I suppose, since Raiden jumped ship three months ago."

"Do you know where he's at? Haven't heard much myself." I try to play it cool.

"I would have guessed. Rumour has it that it didn't end well between you two. Last I heard he was in Thailand, at least, that's what his friends say." I would ask what friends, but I feel like I'd give too much away. I can already feel Nico analysing my every move. "You've got another person inside your head, what's with that?"

"My brother and I can hear each other's thoughts, is that what you mean?" I blink, not entirely sure.

"Something like that." Nico says this but he doesn't look entirely satisfied. "Give him my number, if he's anything like you, he'll need it." Nico stares at my ankle. "Concussion and sprained ankle, yes?"

"Right, like always." I answer.

"Ankle's a reoccurring thing?"

"How do you keep getting these things right? It's incredible." I smile.

"I've seen you injured enough to know everything." He scoffs. I suppose that's true. I mean, back when Black Flag was at its busiest. I visited Nico a lot for stitches and the like. Then again, I was at my most reckless. Every wound came from a mistake.

"Oi, Yuuka." Takumi calls out to me next. Boy, I sure am popular today. "Oh, and Dr. Rodriguez, hello."

"Ah yes, Takumi, hello." Nico replies. How does he know Takumi? He only deals with psychics, right? "How's Kenta doing?" Okay, that kinda makes sense, I guess.

"No complaints." A strange sensation washes over me.

"That's good, remind him that he has an appointment with me next Monday."

"I will." Appointment for what? The last time that I saw Kenta he seemed fine. He doesn't have any sort of illness, that I know at least. Strange.

"Alright, we all have places to be, so I'll leave you to it." Nico waves and moves back in an attempt to get away. "Enjoy your duel. See you later, Yuuka!" I stare at Nico's back as he leaves. Churning out some reply.

"How much does he know?" Takumi asks.

"No idea. He knows about some gang stuff cause he deals with so many psychics. He knew that I was in Black Flag with Raiden, he shouldn't know about Team Liberation." Takumi nods.

"If we don't find him here, we can check Psycho later."

"Takumi, I'm not going clubbing with you today." Come to think of it, Takumi looks like he's dressed to go clubbing, with his chinos and polo.

"One drink then?" Takumi does his usual half-smile to try convince me. I look at him over the top of my shades. He takes the shades off my face, putting them on his own. "Go for shots, then?"

"Oh gods no, not shots. Fine, one drink. You know I'm not supposed to be drinking. If I get trouble, you're going down with me."

"Don't I anyway?" He sighs. I don't even reply. An aura moves through the crowd. It's coming closer. It's him. I have to focus on the aura before I lose it. It moves quicker through the crowd, the person knows that I'm following them.

They lead me into an alleyway away from the main crowd before they stop. They look around them. I read that aura of theirs. He slouches, out of breath. He realises that I'm right behind him. He turns around slowly, still taking deep breaths.

"You're the wrong one." He stares at me.

"What?" I answer back. I have to keep my guard up, I can't afford to let it down around this guy.

"Your aura. It's the same, but you're not the one I'm looking for." Was he looking for Kaoru? That makes no sense.

"Well, you found me instead." I start moving to him. I get a look at his face. There's something unmistakably familiar about it.

"You're not the one I'm looking for." He repeats as he starts moving away from me.

"Hate to break it to you, you can't ambush someone then run away." He turns back to me. Something flashes in his eyes.

"You're the one I attacked?" He scoffs, but he seems suddenly afraid. "It was meant to be the other one." I hear Takumi tut behind me. He makes his way in front of me, partially blocking my view.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" Takumi's tone is definite. He isn't messing around. "Who are you anyway, pipsqueak?" I'm sure if Takumi had an aura, you'd feel it from a mile away right now.

"The name's Saitama. Second-in-command at The Jackals."

"Former." Takumi scoffs. "You were the first ones that got taken down by Team Liberation." He turns back around to me, then he looks back at Saitama. He's playing innocent. "I remember you. You dueled the one with the same aura as her. Lemme guess, you read her aura, mistook for the other one, made her crash in an attempt at revenge."

"Of course. Revenge is what I'm after." Saitama glares right at me. I try reading his aura. There's pain lingering under that anger.

"You know who we are then?"

"Obviously, you're the leader of Team Liberation. The only non-psychic. Not much of a leader if you ask me." Takumi stiffens. "How can you lead if you don't instill fear?"

"I'll show you fear." Takumi shifts. He's readying for a fight. His voice is dark. Saitama raises his arm with his Duel Disk. I move between Takumi and Saitama.

"I'll duel you." I say. I look up at Takumi. "This is my fight."

"Fine." Takumi scoffs. He moves away, standing behind me as if to back me up. "I recommend moving into the Daimon Area, who knows what he's going to pull." I nod, Saitama pauses before nodding.

* * *

We stand facing each other in the Daimon Area across the painted lines that make up a small duel field. There's already a crowd forming around us. I hear them talking about our expressions. It should be a heated duel, they say. Their murmurs crawl on my skin. There's something unsettling about that many eyes watching me duel. They're waiting for me to slip up, make a mistake and lose. Anything for the sake of entertainment.

"Are you ready?" Saitama snaps me out of my thoughts. I nod.

"Duel!" We chant at the same time.

"You're technically the challenger here, so I'll let you go first." I say this, but I prefer going second. Everyone seems to prefer the opposite. Kenta says it's something about being defensive, which surprised him when he learnt my preference. Apparently, I'm too hot-headed to prefer such a tactic.

"Fine. I summon Inpachi(ATK:1600). I set one card and end my turn." He says. His facial expression doesn't change. The murmurs of the crowd only become more intense.

"My turn. I draw." I stare at my hand. Nothing that beats his monster's attack points, damn. Two copies of Monster Reincarnation too? Boy, this is a bad hand. But if I use this effect, then maybe… "I summon Snipe Hunter(ATK:1500). Next, I activate its effect. By discarding a card from my hand, I can roll a die. If this die lands on anything that isn't a one or six, one card of my choice is destroyed. I choose Inpachi!" Saitama maintains his stoic expression. A die appears on the field. It starts rolling. The crowd starts making more noise. 1. "I set one card and end my turn." I close my eyes, trying to block out the noise. I want to cry. My every move is being judged. I hate it. They want me to make a mistake. I start shaking. I can't lose. Not now.

"My turn." Saitama stares at his hand for a few seconds. His aura flares slightly. The crowd is starting to be on edge. "I activate Fissure. The face-up monster with the lowest attack points on your field is destroyed, say goodbye to Snipe Hunter!"

"Not so fast!" I interrupt Saitama as he raises his arm. "I activate Karma Cut. By discarding one card, I get to banish one face-up monster you control. Say goodbye to Inpachi!" Saitama seems unaffected by the card's effect. The crowd is loving it though. Our fields are completely devoid of monsters.

"I summon Genex Neutron(ATK:1800)." Saitama's hand twitches. That monster. It's…

"You might want to get out of the way." I shout back to the crowd behind me. Everyone on my side of the field moves away and towards Saitama's side. Everyone's stepped further back. They know.

"Genex Neutron attacks you directly." I wait until the robotic monster starts flying towards me. I manage to cartwheel backwards. The monster barely scratches my stomach. The fabric of my t-shirt has some holes in it but it'll be fine, and my skin is tinted red from the small release of blood. My life points stand at 2200, this is fine.

"I set one card. Genex Neutron's effect activates. If it was Normal Summoned this turn, then during the End Phase, I can add one Machine-Type Tuner to my deck from my hand. I choose Genex Controller. It's your move." A smirk appears on Saitama's face. Genex Controller. A key part of any Genex deck. It's the required Tuner for many of the Genex Synchro Monsters. But can he summon anything with Neutron as material? Nevermind. I'm not letting him.

"My turn. I draw." Guarded Treasure. I need to discard five cards to activate its effect. Aside from this, I have two. So no to that. My only monster is too weak for this right now, and I can't use its effect. Monster Reincarnation it is. "I activate Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card, I can add one Monster card in my grave to my hand. I choose Snipe Hunter." The crowd starts getting excited again. "Welcome back Snipe Hunter(ATK:1500). I discard another card to activate its effect." The crowd starts cheering. The die appears. "If it isn't a one or a six, Genex Neutron is destroyed. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept." The die flies into the air before dropping back down. "Five. Too bad." The crowd cheers as Saitama's monster is destroyed. "Next, Snipe Hunter attacks you directly." Saitama's life points drop to 2500. He blocks the brunt of the attack that never comes with his arms. As Snipe Hunter comes back to my field, he lowers his arms, eyes wide. I don't need to hurt him physically to get my revenge. I won't sink to his level. "I end my turn."

"My turn." Saitama keeps staring at me. "I set a monster and end my turn." The crowd makes some noise, as he starts to play defensively.

"My turn. I draw." Another monster. I'll take another swipe at his life points this turn. "I summon The Fabled Cerburrel(ATK:1000)." This monster probably isn't strong enough to destroy that set card. Despite Cerburrel being a Tuner, I can't Synchro anything. "Snipe Hunter attacks your set card. Now, Cerburrel attacks you directly." Saitama's life points drop again, this time to 1500. "I end my turn." Saitama looks like he's starting to crack under the pressure.

"My turn." Saitama's aura flares slightly. Fear starts to set in. "I set another monster and end my turn." The crowd livens up. I can hear gasps escaping their mouths. They question him. It's a bad hand. I know that from his aura. But our audience starts judging his ability. "Stop pitying me." He says all of a sudden. "Make your move." I sigh.

"My turn. I draw." I can Synchro. I'll end this now. "I summon The Fabled Ganashia(ATK:1600). Level 2 Cerburrel tunes Level 3 Ganashia. The will of many combine into one. Join together and bring forth revolution! Synchro Summon! Arise, Fabled Ragin(ATK:2300)!" The ornate demon appears and stretches out its wings before crossing its arms. "Ragin's effect activates. When this card is Synchro Summoned and I have less than two cards in my hand, I can draw until my hand is back to two cards. Legion Assembly!" I don't even look at the cards. "Snipe Hunter attacks your set card. Now, Ragin attacks you directly! Legion Strike!" Saitama's life points drop to 0. The crowd very quickly dismantles. They move onto the next duel. Saitama falls to his knees. There's a darkness to his aura.

"Don't pity me." He says as I get closer to him. Takumi behind me is apprehensive. "You already took everything else from me."

"I-" He interrupts me before I say anything.

"Gangs are all I have. They're the reason I have a roof over my head, that I can eat. And you took that away from me!"

"I know how it feels. Security took everything from me once. I was sent to the City before the unification with the Satellite. But I made a life for myself here. I won't let Security keep me down."

"I know." He says. "I remember." Then it clicks. I remember Saitama. When I first started hanging around the Daimon Area, he was there. That tiny homeless kid. I look at him now. We must be the same age. I talked with him a few times. Anako tried to recruit him too. He wouldn't sway. Someone had already scouted him, I heard. That person must have been the leader of the Jackals.

"I'm sorry but this is something I must do." I sigh. "Go have a life, you don't need gangs." Saitama stares at me before standing up.

Everything starts to move in slow motion. A bolt of dark energy starts to move towards. It catches me off guard. I don't have enough time to react, but neither does Saitama. It draws closer but there's something familiar about it. The beam gets blocked by a monster. I stare at it. A spellcaster, but that means… Anako comes sprinting after it. She stops to catch her breath. I'm frozen, staring at the dragon on a rooftop. Dark End Dragon. I only know one person who uses that monster. Anako catches my gaze. She's scared. She know what that means.

"Stop trying to kill my best friend!" Takumi shouts at Saitama.

"I swear it wasn't me, this time." He answers.

"He's right." Anako answers. "That monster. It could only belong to…"

"Raiden." I finish.


	45. One at a Time

"Raiden?!" Takumi freezes. His eyes keep shifting between Anako and I. He's posed like he's about run. Meanwhile, I feel like I'm going to projectile vomit everywhere.

"It has to be. Who else could it be?" Anako covers her mouth as she answers. I wonder if she feels the same as me. She's kept her monster around, who's name is on the tip of my tongue, so I would imagine so. I stare at the rooftop where the blast came from. No dragon. No aura. "Can you get a good read on the aura?" Anako asks me. "I'm not strong enough to read it from this far away."

"I don't know." I blurt out. Has it been that long that I've forgotten what his aura feels like? Impossible, I think to myself. How could I? That tingling sensation, almost like your skin is burning up.

"I've never met the guy, so I couldn't tell you either." Saitama butts in. I had almost forgotten that he's there. Honestly, I'm too focused on _not_ vomiting to have a complicated thought pattern right now. Exactly four thoughts are running through my head right now.

Who attacked me?

_Why_ did they attack me?

Was that actually Raiden Kimura here in front of me?

I don't want to vomit in public again.

"But I mean…" Saitama trails off. "It's just Dark End Dragon. Surely that could be any given psychic, it's not exactly an uncommon card."

"But that's just it!" Anako starts to argue. "That's something Raiden would do. Completely anonymous." I just keep staring at that rooftop.

"I trust Yuuka's instinct." Takumi chips in on the discussion. Everyone looks at me.

"I don't know." I mutter again. "It could be anyone, but still…" I trail off. The thoughts of Raiden are never too far away. They linger in my mind. Somewhere at the back of my mind. I see him in my dreams sometimes. He's there, where Yusei's presence fades, he appears from the shadows. Instilling fear into my heart. Even though he's gone, the fear that he might come back still stays with me.

* * *

The next few days after that incident were rough. Being bombarded with questions from Kaoru. He wants to skin Raiden Kimura alive, a direct quote. Seems fair, I said. Anako never made any comment about the people there, or what had happened before that. All she mentioned was Raiden. Takumi was livid, he thinks she knows about Team Liberation. I said nothing. I'm certain of it. Kaoru didn't look Takumi in the eye. He told her. I couldn't believe it. Little snitch. I don't want her getting involved. Her stare is very distracting. She seems to be always looking at me, I've noticed. Geez, for someone who likes my brother, she sure stares at me a lot.

Takumi's already talking about the next gang. Not even a week out of hospital, and he brings this up. Kenta wants it done as soon as possible. Don't leave too much time between strikes, he says. Don't let them know that we've been weakened by the attack. He said that most of the gangs know about what happened. Apparently, a lot of them are in contact with each other. Strange, considering how I wouldn't have been able to name any of the gang leaders just a few months ago. I've only started meeting them through Team Liberation business.

What would Raiden think of all this? I think to myself. I wonder if he knows about Team Liberation. Apparently he's been in contact with his friends, according to Nico. Could he have figured it out? No, I shake my head. It's impossible. We've kept this whole thing very quiet, and it will be like that until the end.

Only two more gangs left. I just keep telling myself that, in some attempt to make my anxiety calm.

* * *

The guys are in the garage again, testing another model. I'm joining them this time. I have the broom leaning against the wall, ready to clean up. I'm half expecting another explosion. Jack said I had to clean up after the last one, since I _sneaked_ out to go fight Ghost. I had started the job, which is why I finished. But I let Jack think he was getting his way.

"Eighty… Ninety…" Yusei says over the noise of the revving engine.

"Hey, are you sure you'll be okay!? We don't have time for any explosions like the other day!" Crow asks.

"You say _we_ , but I'm the one who cleaned the mess up." I comment, Jack gives me _the look_.

"You know why you had to." I sigh. "Hmph! That's Yusei for you! To think you perfected it this much in just a few days."

"Yeah, no need to worry about the engine." Yusei says this so nonchalantly, so I know that something else will go wrong. I sigh and move to get the broom.

"Engine?" "About it?" Jack and Crow ring out. I sigh again as cards start flying out of the deck holder. We stare as they start falling. Jack starts screaming, entirely relatable.

"The cards!" Crow exclaims. I put the broom back, Yusei would kill me if I tried using the broom on his cards. Smoke starts coming out of the D-Wheel. At least, it's white smoke this time.

"You're being too loud!" Zora bursts through the door again. I swear, I only ever see her when the guys mess up in the garage. "I swear, why is it that y'all are never content unless you're causing a racket!? Honestly, you can hardly tell if you're building or breaking something!" As bad as it sounds, I kind of feel the same way. Then again, I only ever pay attention to the failures cause I have to clean up after them. Nothing ever changes.

"I'm sorry." Yusei apologises again.

"Don't blame Yusei for this." Crow speaks up.

"Yes, out of respect for me, Jack Atlas…" I sigh. I don't even think that Zora realises that I'm here. Does she even know my name?

"I was talking to you two from the start!" She shouts back at them.

"Zora, we're very sorry!" Yusei's head bows a little as he says it.

"Oh, you're okay, Yusei! A real disaster that was, though. You should take a breather every once in awhile! You can't just tinker with your machines all the time, y'know! Hey, you! Stop dragging Yusei down and try to cooperate with him a little!" Zora slams the door behind her as she leaves. I shake my head. I suppose Yusei can charm anyone with that cute face of his.

"What kind of slanted treatment is that!?" Jack shouts as soon as she's gone.

"Giving out to you for making mess of the space she's renting to you. Unheard of." I make sure to put plenty of sarcasm into it so that they understand.

"Well, I preferred her yelling at us than putting on that creepy-ass, fake smile." Crow makes the shape of glasses on his face to make fun of Zora. I sigh. Clearly my point didn't get across.

"Don't say that." At least Yusei got what I was saying. "Zora is letting us stay here out of the kindness of her heart."

"Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, we'd better take care of this…" Crow trails off. I sigh, staring at the cards still on the floor. The door bursts open again. Rua and Ruka run in, followed by a gang of kids who I assume are their friends.

"Yusei! Jack! Crow! Yuuka!" Ruka calls out to us as she comes in.

"We came to hang out!" Rua shouts out. I'm starting to think that this kid doesn't have an indoor voice.

"Hey there!" Yusei greets them with a smile.

"Did you all enjoy school?" I ask since they're in their uniforms. Ruka nods back at me.

"Not you guys again!" I sigh as Jack keeps shouting. You have to be nice to the children. The gang of kids that have invaded the garage walk up to Yusei.

"Whoa, kinda disorganised today, huh?" Rua stares at the floor, which we still haven't cleaned.

"What happened here? Another explosion?" Ruka asks.

"Close." Yusei answers. It basically was.

"This baby seems to be stuck in a bad mood, y'know." Jack pats the model D-Wheel.

"Oh! It's a D-Wheel! Awesome!" "It's a test frame, huh? It's so cool!" The kids' attention moves to the model. Jack looks pretty annoyed.

"Hey! Keep your mitts off!" I sigh, here we go again.

"Hey, let us ride it! C'mon!" "Can we?" Jack pouts slightly at the request.

"Forget it! Of all the impudent things!"

"Jack, be nice." I use a warning tone.

"Okay, if you help us pick up these cards, we'll let you ride it!" You can tell Crow has a lot more experience with kids.

"Really!?" I smile. The kids seems so excited at the chance to ride a 'D-Wheel'.

"Crow! You can't just go saying whatever!" Jack answers Crow. I suppose that's true. That model is liable to explode at any time.

"Where's the harm? Well, let's get cracking!" Crow smiles. He just wants someone else to clean up instead of him.

"Yusei, we'll give you a hand with this." Rua goes to kneel down to grab the cards. I notice another kid standing in the doorway. Ruka sees me looking at the door.

"Sly?" She calls out to him.

"G-Gah! Why is he here!?" Rua shouts. I guess he doesn't get along with this Sly kid. Hearing Rua's reaction, he starts to leave.

"Sly! Sly!" Ruka runs over to the door, grabbing Sly's hand. "What are you doing? Come over here!" She starts pulling him inside. "Yusei! This is our classmate, and he's pretty strong too! Right, Sly?" Oh, I see what's going on here. I suppose I was Ruka's age when I started having crushes. Who would have known that it actually worked out in the end though?

"Nice to meet you." Yusei nods.

"Hmph, Yusei Fudo, huh? I knew you weren't as cool as you're cracked up to be." Sly makes this face like he's acting cooler than he actually is. But I can see right through that.

"What!?" Rua is clearly offended. Someone is disrespecting his idol.

"Hey, what's this, napping on the job!? Back to work! Back to work!" Crow manages to get everyone to start picking up cards. I actually have someone to help me for once, a concept. The kids cheer out in unison as they start helping.

"Why am I doing this too?" I hear Sly mutter that to himself.

"Thought I saw it around here…" Yusei's looking for Stardust, I'm guessing.

"Uh... you dropped this." For a second, I see some shyness in Sly. He hands Stardust to Yusei.

"Thanks." Yusei smiles at him. Sly smiles sheepishly. I guess he's not that bad after all.

* * *

It isn't until later that I get some time alone with Yusei in the garage. Crow has a tendency to hover sometimes. He hasn't figured that he doesn't need to be my wingman anymore. As for when I'm telling him, no idea. I don't want to deal with the fuss that everyone's going to make. The door opens again, and someone walks in. I swear they need to start locking that door, because no one ever knocks.

"Excuse me... but are you Yusei Fudo?" The man who enters asks. He stands at the doorway. Wait a second, I recognise him.

"I am." Yusei stands up, wiping the oil on his hands into a rag.

"I'm told that you will repair anything, correct?" Why is the Principal of Duel Academy standing here of all places?

"What seems to have broken?" Yusei asks.

"You see, I would say that it's less broken and more out of control and won't stop... Well, I think that you can fix it if you just re-tighten the screws a little." Sounds suspicious.

"Re-tighten the screws? What kind of machine is it, exactly?" Yusei sounds curious, but I don't think that he's talking about a machine. The Principal rubs his chin, deep in thought, before answering.

"Hmm, it's called a Heitmann, you see…" So I was right?

"Heitmann?" Yusei repeats.

"It's something specific to our school, you see. But I don't think that it's outside of your skill set. Would you be able to come to Duel Academy tomorrow for our first period? I'm sure Miss Hattori can show you the way." Both the Principal and Yusei stare at me. I haven't been called Hattori in so long that I didn't click for a second that they're talking about me.

"Sure." Yusei answers.

"Well, good day to you both. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Once the Principal leaves, Yusei turns to me. I just shrug my shoulders and continue cleaning.

* * *

I stare at the piece of paper that the receptionist gave us on the way in. The directions to the room that _the Heitmann_ is in. How would they know what room the Vice Principal would be in at this time? Wouldn't he be in his office? Then again, he's Heitmann. He's probably in that class mentally scarring some kids. I hear some commotions coming from the room listed on the piece of paper. Wouldn't this be Rua and Ruka's class? I mean, given where it is. It should be. We get to the open door. Heitmann stands at the podium at the top of the room, along with Aki?

"What's wrong, Aki?" Yusei asks.

"You're... Yusei Fudo, the one who won the Fortune Cup!" The class cheers as Heitmann brings their attention to Yusei. I stand behind Yusei. I don't want Heitmann drawing attention to me, I didn't sign up for this. "What could you possible need from our Duel Academy?"

"I came on a job." Yusei responds.

"Huh? A job?" Heitmann seems confused.

"I took a request saying that there was something in this classroom someone wanted fixed, you see." I wonder if Yusei has figured it out. I've said nothing, refusing to answer his questions about _the_ Heitmann.

"Well... I wonder if there was anything that could be fixed in this classroom. Fixing even these children's grade would prove to be impossible." I grit my teeth. You can _fix_ your grades if you work hard enough, I just never tried.

"Mr. Vice Principal, your words are going too far!" Their teacher calls out.

"Don't you think it foolish to discard the passion to study dueling by making judgements based on grades alone!?" I can tell that Aki is as pissed off as I am, just from the tone of her voice.

"The only fool here is you! No matter how much low-level failures study dueling, it is entirely pointless! I mean, just look at Miss Yuuka Hattori here." Heitmann points straight at me. Yusei turns slightly as his shoulders stiffen. "Such abysmal grades, no wonder why she's a dropout." I feel Aki's aura flare up, as well as Yusei's.

Heitmann, unaware, starts flicking through slides. Each one has a student and a low level card in their deck. "For one thing, there are nothing but a bunch of low-level, dreg cards in these children's decks. These duelists are of low-calibre, so they only use low-level monsters."

"No, that's not true. There's not one thing in this world that's inessential." I see Yusei's fists tighten. I know that's something he stands by.

"Oh, a smart-alec! Outsiders have no business sticking their nose where it does not belong! I would appreciate that you leave at once! What in the world did you come to fix anyway!?" Heitmann has started losing his top as usual.

"I came to fix something called a _Heitmann_." Yusei stares as Heitmann blinks in confusion.

"Huh? Heitmann!?" He shouts.

"Right, they told me that I could fix it if I just re-tighten the screws." Had Yusei figured it out, I wonder.

"...Then, are you talking about me, Rudolph Heitmann!?" I didn't actually know that his first name was Rudolph.

"What?" How did he not figure it out? I thought he was a genius.

"Yusei, help us!" Ruka cries out. They don't deserve to be expelled.

"We're all gonna get expelled!" Rua starts crying out to. I wish I could do something to help.

"All of us are asking you!" The class also starts crying out. "Do something, Yusei!" It's not my place to help.

"I see. Now it makes sense. It looks like I'm about to grant your wishes." Yusei steps forward. He's going to duel Heitmann then, I suppose.

"No!" Aki steps in between Heitmann and Yusei. "Leave it to me, Yusei!" I was not expecting this, okay. "Heitmann, duel with me! And if I win, you'll waive these kids' expulsions!"

"Enough of your sass! I shall teach you that these failures have no business dueling myself! And if I win, I'll expel this class _and_ you, Izayoi! Understood!?"

"Yes." She nods. Yusei looks back at me. I can see the shock in his eyes. I have faith in Aki. I trust that she'll beat the shit out of Heitmann.

* * *

We stand in a foyer waiting for the duel to start. Aki talks to the kids from Rua and Ruka's class. They all look up to her, you can see that. I imagine that she looks so impressive in their eyes. Ahead of her age group, top of her class, Fortune Cup finalist. An interesting resumé, no doubt. But still, there's a sense of uneasiness. They still remember her as the Black Rose Witch from the Fortune Cup. That image has stayed in their heads, and it's hard to get rid of it. Hopefully, she can do it. She can control her powers now, I've seen it for myself. Their teacher stares at me.

"You're Yuuka Hattori, right?" She asks. I nod.

"That's me."

"I've heard about you."

"I imagine that all of the teachers had. I had quite a reputation by the time I left."

"I'm sorry about what the Vice Principal said. I'm sure had your reasons for leaving." My eyes widen a little bit. I wasn't expecting that. Teachers were never normally so kind. "Will she be okay?" She looks over to Aki. "The vice principal's deck is quite powerful."

"You needn't worry." I say. "Now that matters are in Aki's hands, she will resolve this. I have faith in her." I look over at her. The kids seem a lot more relaxed. Aki's great with kids, I can see that even from here. I suppose she has that in common with Crow. I'm able to hear snippets of what they're saying. I hear the word _favour_. Is she doing what I think she's doing?

* * *

"You wish you were dueling him, don't you?" I ask Yusei as we go to sit in the stands.

"I do, he said some despicable things. I can't forgive what he said to you." He crosses his arms.

"I know." I smile while sighing. "But this is Aki's fight and you know it. She's having a rough time in school lately and this will help her." Yusei nods, but doesn't say anything. "You're so overprotective." I say to myself.

"What?" Yusei asks.

"Nothing."

"With my Ultimate Winners' Deck, your eyes are in store for a treat!" Heitmann shouts out. I've heard rumours about his deck, I wonder if they're true. I can tell that Aki is having none of it.

"Duel!" Heitmann and Aki chant at the same time.

"Do your best, Aki!" "Aki!" The kids cheer for Aki. I smile.

"I go first!" Aki claims the first turn. "I summon Guard of Flamvell in Defense Mode(DEF:2000)!"

"You can do it, Guard of Flamvell!" One of the kids calls out. That was one of the cards in Heitmann's slides. I was right, she's doing what I thought she was doing earlier.

"I place two cards face-down to end my turn." Aki stands tall. She remains calm, but her aura is still as heated as it was earlier.

"Hmph! Does it Level of one mean that low-level Tuner Monsters are the only things you're able to summon?" It has high defense, surely that accounts for something. "It's my turn! Draw! I summon Antique Gear Statue(ATK:500)!" The rumours, I've heard are true. He uses _that_ deck. "Now then, by using this Level 2 Monster, I shall teach you a special lesson."

"Special lesson!?" The kids cry out.

"Yes, indeed. No matter how many low-level monsters you summon, you cannot win the duel." I'd beg to differ. I've won duels before without summoning a monster over Level 4. It's possible. "I will show you that the proper way... to use low-level is as thus! I activate the Magic card, Machine Duplication! This will Special Summon two Machine-Type Monsters with an attack power of 500-or-lower, Antique Gear Statues to be specific, from my deck(ATK:500/ATK:500)!"

"He has three of the same monster!" Rua cries out.

"It's not that uncommon actually." I try to comfort him. "Yusei has three copies of Junk Synchron, isn't that right?"

"Yeah." Yusei smiles, this settles Rua a bit.

"My Antique Gear Statues' effects will now activate! By releasing these monsters, they will Special Summon the Antique Gear Golems in my hand, ignoring any Summoning Requirements(ATK:3000/ATK:3000/ATK:3000)!"

"What!?" Aki loses her disposition for a split second. I imagine being in that situation is terrifying.

"Look at what's down there! They're amazing!" One voice behind me comments. "An attack power of 3000!" Another one.

"Plus, three of them at one time!" I hear the worry in Ruka's voice. I know her and Aki are quite close.

"Something which not even the most well-trained of duelists have seen often, Antique Gear Golem. It's a legendary rare card!" That's true. I've only heard rumours about such a monster.

"But, why would the vice principal have such an incredible kind of card?" Rua questions.

"These are vintage monsters that only elite professors selected by the Duel Academy are allowed to use!" That would explain the rarity alright, as well as the ego. "That is why, in this world, low-level monsters are to only serve as material for high-level monsters! And you, low-level duelists must also be released to make way for the elites!" Heitmann may think he's all high and mighty. Low-level monsters are a key part of decks. I dare say no deck functions without them. To say such a thing shows that he has no idea how decks function at all.

"Enough gloating." Aki cuts him off. "No matter what powerful monster you've managed to summon, there's no point unless you win."

"That is what a sore loser says right after he loses. Are you suggesting you have some chance in this situation?" You're talking to Aki Izayoi, are you saying that you have a chance?

"Before battle, I'll activate a Trap! Tuner's Barrier! This prevents any Tuners on my field from being destroyed for this turn!" Aki is using one of Yusei's cards. Since her deck don't rely heavily on Synchro Summoning, she asked Yusei if she could borrow some cards. That's when I knew she was going for this strategy. Using the kid's low-level monsters against Heitmann. There were plenty of Tuners in that mix, so she must have anticipated this.

"Typical useless, low-level resistance!" When will Heitmann shut up? That's what I want to know. "When Antique Gear Golem attacks a defending monster, it inflicts Piercing Damage! Battle! My first Antique Gear Golem will attack your Guard of Flamvell!" Aki's life points fall to 3000. "To follow up, my second Antique Gear Golem will attack!" Then again to 2000. "And, last but not least! My third Antique Gear Golem will attack!" And finally down to 1000.

"She's down to 1000 Life Points in just one move…" Ruka comments beside me. She holds her hand to her mouth.

"Aki!" The other kids call out to her. They're clearly worried for her. I mean, their education is on the line but still.

"This is the end." Heitmann keeps going, but I doubt he's speaking the truth. "I activate the Magic card, Level Thunder! You will get hit with damage equal to 100 times the combined levels of all monsters on my side of the field!"

"She's looking at 2400 damage!" Someone calls out behind me.

"Aki is gonna lose, then!?" Ruka turns back to look at them.

"Huh!?" Rua exclaims in shock.

"I never expected a combo like this!" Their teacher comments.

"This is the ultimate One Turn Kill, possible on the grounds of being a high-level elite!" Anyone can pull off a one turn kill with enough luck.

"Aki!" The kids cry out for her. I look at her back. She's got something up her sleeve, her aura tells me that.

"By discarding Wingwata, it will reduce that Effect Damage to 0!" Aki's aura is calm. She can see the end of this duel, it will work out in her favour.

"All right! Wingwata is great!" Another kid cheers, seeing their card.

"Another low-level Tuner, is it? Honestly, you have more lives than a cockroach!" Isn't he thinking of a cat? "I end my turn!"

"She somehow got by, but at this rate-!" Someone comments.

"Aki…" Ruka seems very worried.

"Don't be worried, kids. I'm sure Aki's got this all figured out." I smile at Ruka. She manages a small smile and nods.

"She's right." Yusei backs up. They seem more positive with Yusei chipping in, which disheartens me a little. But then again, I'm just some random person, not the winner of the Fortune Cup and saviour of the City.

"Now it's my turn to teach a special lesson. These kids aren't low-level Duelists and never will be! I'm going to show you that!" Aki's aura heats up again. She's determined to be the last one standing.

"How highly absurd! I have three Level Eight Antique Gear Golems, while you only have one Level One Tuner. What could you teach me in a situation like this?" Heitmann questions her like she's not going to be able to answer.

"My turn!" Aki starts her turn without answering him, a good idea to be honest. "I activate the Magic card, Treasure Card of Tuning! By sending a Tuner Monster in my hand to the Cemetery, I'm allowed to draw two cards!" Another one of Yusei's cards. She did take a good few of them.

"I had not counted on you to use Tuners in this way!" Heitmann exclaims as if this is a never seen before technique.

"I've drawn it." Aki smiles. "I summon Eccentric Boy(ATK:800)! When Eccentric Boy becomes Synchro Material, it will select one more monster from my hand! I'm tuning my Level Three Eccentric Boy to my Level Four Violet Witch!" The kids seem a bit on edge. I hear some of them whisper. They've only seen Black Rose Dragon materialised. They probably think it's going to happen again.

"What is this!? Tuning with a monster in your hand, you say!?" I don't understand people who get flabbergasted at the effects of cards, this is a possible thing that can happen.

"Chilling flames engulfs the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!" The dragon appears in all of its glory. Since it's not materialised, the kids have a good chance to look at its beauty.

"It's Aki's ace monster!" A kid calls out behind me.

"It's so pretty!" Another voice.

"But, Black Rose Dragon's attack power doesn't come close to Antique Gear Golem." A different voice.

"What's Aki gonna do?" Rua cries out.

"A monster that weak is no match for my three Antique Gear Golems!" Black Rose Dragon, weak? This guy needs some glasses or something.

"I'm hoping you don't misconstrue. It's true that Black Rose Dragon alone doesn't have the power to defeat a single Antique Gear Golem, but... all I need to do is gather more of my friends' power!" I can hear the smile in Aki's voice. "From my hand, the Magic card, Variety Out! By returning Black Rose Dragon back to my Extra Deck, this will Special Summon Tuner Monsters from my Cemetery, whose Levels are equal to Black Rose's, a combined Level of Seven to be exact!" Here's her real strategy.

"What!?" Heitmann exclaims. He must be so confused right now.

"Be reborn, Eccentric Boy, Wingwata, Twilight Rose Knight(ATK:800/200/1000 LVL:3/1/3)!"

"What must you be thinking? Why would you use your high-level Synchro Monster as a footstool to go through the trouble of Special Summoning your low-level Tuner Monsters? It can't be!" Heitmann cries out. This is part of Aki's _special lesson_ , so he better listen carefully.

"Yes, these are the monsters that were in those kids' decks you called dreg monsters!" I can feel the excitement from the kids. Their monsters are helping Aki win the duel even though Heitmann called them useless.

"You can fill the numbers all you want, but low-levels are low-levels! My high-level combo will not come down!" We'll see about that, Heitmann.

"Neither Level nor attack power determine a duel." Something changes in Aki's aura. She's won, I can feel it. "Trap, activate! Tuner Bomb! By destroying monsters on my field equal to the number of monsters on my opponent's field, this will destroy all monsters on my opponent's field!" Another one of Yusei's cards. Did she just take everything with _Tuner_ in the name?

"What?! It can't be! No, this can't be! In one move, my three Antique Gear Golems!" I'm honestly getting some enjoyment from seeing Heitmann like this. He caused me hell back in the day, he deserves it.

"Adding on, for each monster destroyed, it inflicts 1000 points of damage!" In one move, Aki takes Heitmann's life points down to 1000. "And I still have monsters out in play! Twilight Rose Knight attacks directly!" With one wave of her hand, Heitmann's life points drop to 0. He falls down onto his back.

"He did it! Aki won!" The kids cheer. "Our monsters beat the vice principal's monsters!" They start running down to the field so Yusei and I follow them.

"It can't be. How could my Winners' Deck be defeated? I can't believe that even low-level monsters could have this kind of potential!" Heitmann moans. Fair game, I think. Humiliate others, get humiliated yourself.

"Of course. What's really important isn't how high one's Level is. It's a heart that makes a serious effort to learn something." Aki walks closer to Heitmann. "And there are kids here who are doing just that, by making a serious effort to learn dueling!"

"Very impressive, Aki." The principal walks into the room.

"You're-" Yusei starts.

"It would seem that you've re-tightened the screws on tight." The principal then turns to Yusei. "Even though I had hired Yusei here to do the job."

"Principal!" Heitmann exclaims.

"Principal?" Yusei echoes. He turns to me, looking for an explanation.

"You have to forgive me, Yusei. for deceiving you all this time. I had a hard time trying to repair this hard head, you see." The principal sighs. I'd feel the same way if I had to work with Heitmann.

"You went to ask him to repair me, Principal!?" Heitmann shouts.

"And how did it go, Vice Principal Heitmann?" The principal talks down to him, rightly so I think.

"Yes, sir. I have made a mistake." Heitmann bows his head, a rare sight.

"Aki! Aki!" The kids jump on Aki, giving her hugs. Her smile is so big right now. She should always be this happy, I think. Maybe being around kids makes her this way. Maybe her and Crow are a great match. Who am I kidding? I knew that already.

"These kids' expulsions... shall be waived." The kids start to cheer but I keep staring at Heitmann, so they quieten down. "And Aki Izayoi will... not be expelled."

"Alright! Alright!" The kids cheer.

"Thank you, Aki." The principal says.

"Thank you!" Rua shouts. Aki smiles before turning to Sly.

"Sly, thank you. Your card helped me win." She goes to hand his card back to him. He pauses.

"Sure." There's a small blush on his cheeks as he takes it back. He may look like a bad kid, but I think he's just a misfit. I think Aki sees that too. We were misfits ourselves once, but we grew into our shells. I think that's all Sly needs to do. He's only twelve or so, he has time.

"Aki! Aki! You really are awesome, Aki!" The kids shout. I smile, as they walk off the field.

"Are you okay?" Yusei asks me once they're out of earshot.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You look like you're going to cry." I feel my cheeks burning, Yusei laughs.

"I'm just so proud of her! Okay?" I cross my arms. "Don't act like you're not." He shakes his head, but I know he is too.

* * *

I catch up with Aki once the crowd has cleared. She's smiling, still high from her win.

"Thank you." She says.

"Why?" I ask.

"You convinced me to stay." She smiles brightly at me. "I was almost ready to pack my bags and leave. But you said that I'd have to change their minds. I think I done it today. I changed these kids' opinions. They seemed so scared of me at first, but now they're hanging out of me." She laughs.

"Now, to change everyone else's." I respond. "Onto bigger and better things as I always say." I never say that, I've never said that. Why did I say that?

"That's true." Aki smiles again. I put my hand up for a fist bump. She stares at my hand, almost confused, then at my face. She chuckles, before giving me that fist bump.


	46. Double Crossed

"Morning." I'm surprised that Kaoru acknowledges me when he comes into the kitchen. I respond while taking another sip of my coffee. He doesn't seem _too_ bad this morning. This is the friendliest he's been all week. I suppose that he has to be today. Kenta called us yesterday, telling us that we're going for the Cross Syndicate today. The second-to-last gang. That's what I keep telling myself. I'm nearly there. Soon, I won't have to lie about all this.

"You were there when Izayoi dueled the Vice Principal, right?" He starts making cereal, surprising, considering he normally goes straight for a cup of tea. I mumble some sort of a response, not really awake. "Thought so. Someone I know has a brother in the class that nearly got expelled." He doesn't sit down, but leans on the counter as he starts eating. "That's all the entire school can talk about. The opinion of her has pretty much changed. Good for her. Some people are right assholes." His brows furrow. I imagine he feels more strongly now than he did before. If people knew, that could have been him. I'm sure that's what he's thinking.

"Yeah." I say. "She needed it. The better she does, the more the opinion of people like us will change." I stare at my coffee. "At least, it should." Kaoru says nothing for a while.

"Maybe." He mutters.

"We cool?" I ask after a while.

"Yeah." He sighs. "Just don't touch my D-Wheel again." I laugh, but I know that he's completely serious. "Are you sure that you're ready for today? You said you were last night, but I just want to be certain."

"I should be fine." I shrug my shoulders. "I want to handle this like we did the Red Serpents. Go in, talk for a while. Come out with their territory. I shouldn't need to do any hardcore stuff. Key word, _shouldn't_."

"Are gangs really that malicious?" Kaoru says. I stare at him, then at my bad leg, and back to him. "I take that back." He sighs. "It's a shame that I couldn't be the one to get back at that guy."

"Who? Saitama?" He nods.

"He hurt my little sister, I can't stand by and watch him get away with it."

"He didn't, I beat him in a duel."

"You didn't hurt him back though." Kaoru says, putting the bowl in the sink. "It's not enough."

"It doesn't work like that." I shake my head, sighing. "If I hurt him, someone else would have hurt me. And it just keeps going. It's not the real way to deal with these sort of things."

"Suppose so." Kaoru mutters. "Wanna start getting ready?" I make some sort of noise in response before downing the rest of my coffee.

* * *

We find Takumi and Kenta sitting on a wall. They don't have their masks on yet. I spot the bags under Kenta's eyes. He twists the ends of his black wig. I don't think he even notices Kaoru and I until we're standing right in front of him. Takumi, meanwhile, seems to be in a great mood.

"So, when are we going to Psycho again?" Every conversation I've had with Takumi since the Saitama incident involves this question.

"Isn't Psycho that one psychic bar?" Kaoru asks. I've mentioned it a few times to him, since I want to bring him there after all of this gang stuff is done. Takumi and I nod. "Why would you go there?" Kaoru looks at Takumi, who frowns.

"I'm allowed to go. I support psychics, nothing can stop me going."

For some reason, Takumi hates people bringing up that he's not a psychic. I think Saitama hit the nail on the head. He's insecure. One of the few non-psychics in the gang scene, and a big part of it at that.

_How can you lead when you can't instill fear?_

That's what Saitama said. That's been plaguing his mind, I can tell. He's hasn't had anything to do with the decision to go for the next gang. It was all Kenta. Could he be doubting himself? Or is his mind focused on something greater?

"Some non-psychics go there." I say. "It's a fun time. I'll probably go back once this whole thing's blown over."

Takumi stays silent. I think Kaoru struck a sensitive nerve. Kenta paces throughout all of this. He's anxious, with a hint of restlessness.

"Come on." Kenta says. He almost growls it while looking at Takumi. He then puts his mask on, with Takumi doing the same. Something is wrong, my gut says.

"Maybe we should wait." The words fall my lips as soon as everyone starts moving.

"Why would we wait?" Takumi asks, then looks to Kenta.

"I think we should too." Kaoru stares at me. He's reading my thoughts. He agrees with me, something feels _off_. That's what his thoughts tell me.

"No. There's no point in waiting. We're walking in, talking and walking out. We don't need to wait." Kenta clenches his fists. There's something wrong with him.

Someone who normally takes their time, tells people to calm down. Suddenly turning around telling to everyone move as fast as they can. What happened to taking your time, Kenta?

Kenta starts walking, Takumi following. Kaoru looks at me, and shrugs his shoulders. He asks me what we should do, mentally. I shake my head. I fiddle with my duel disk. _I'm going to need this_ , a voice in my head says. Kaoru puts his mask on and follows them. I have no choice but go along with this. Since Kaoru is just going along with what they're doing. I stare at my mask, the red teardrop shapes coming from the eyes. Soon I will have no use for this mask. No more gangs, no more Fabled Bitch.

"Ah." I cover my chest using my hands. "I've been binding for a solid half an hour, and I'm already in pain."

"What are you using to bind?" Kenta doesn't turn to face me.

"Ace bandages." I pull at the top of the bandages through my hoodie at an attempt to loosen them. The bandages are starting to fall around my ribs. If they continue to fall, I'll be in trouble. I'll probably pass out, it's happened before.

"Don't do that. You'll hurt your ribs."

"What should I use then?" I try hooking my fingers underneath the bottom to try lift the bandages off my ribs. Kenta doesn't respond, but keeps walking.

We reach the gang's entrance. I sense auras densely packed into that building. I move to tell Kenta, but he ignores me. Kaoru catches on, but still, nothing.

"We're Team Liberation. We demand to see your leader." Kenta shouts at the guys beside the door. One of them, who is even taller than Takumi, walks over to Kenta, towering over him.

"So, you're inviting yourself in, are you?" This deep voice booms out. "You do realise that you're showing up uninvited?" Kenta doesn't move or back away. He just stands there as the other guy leans down to look at him.

"Bring me to your leader." That's all Kenta says.

"And what if I refuse?" He's baiting him. The leaning and that smirk on his face.

"Then, I'll duel you." Kenta holds up his duel disk. I feel the auras flare inside. Kaoru flinches beside me.

"Now, _Kevin_." Takumi grits his teeth, using Kenta's gang name. "Let's not cause a hassle."

"Well now, I'm not a duelist." The guy guarding the door says. "But since you're looking for a fight, we'll give you one." He points up to the building. The aura start to shift one by one. Without thinking, I activate my duel disk, a card in my hand ready. Kaoru follows my lead. We step back at the same time. The guy guarding the door pushes Kenta back, who falls on the ground. He jumps in the door, locking it behind him.

The first attack rains down. My sleeve gets ripped from something that resembles a lightning arrow. The skin stings. I barely miss a fire blast. It leaves some soot on my hoodie. Takumi pulls Kenta up, and hides behind a nearby dumpster. People start jumping out the ground floor windows. I start running. Avoid fights in small alleyways. Attacks from above can't be blocked as easily. Kaoru splits off from me pretty quickly. Takumi and Kenta run off a different way, I lose track of them pretty quickly.

I'm backed into some sort of courtyard. The attack stops for a few seconds so I try finding people's aura. Kenta is too far away. Kaoru is a matter of minutes away. More and more auras follow me. I cartwheel to dodge the attack of a spellcaster. Which turns into a backflip to avoid a blast of light. My back touches the wall. I throw another monster on my duel disk, and dash away from the wall. The Fabled Unicore and Valkyrus stand in front of me. They send attacks out in all directions. The edges of the building start to crack. One duelist, followed by a monster I recognise as Daigusto Eguls, manages to get into the courtyard, despite my best efforts. He moves his duel disk like he's going to duel me. An attack hits the duel disk, ultimately smashing it on the ground. I spot Kaoru giving me a thumbs up from the other side of the courtyard. I tear the left sleeve of the hoodie off. It's hanging on by a few threads now, and the fabric is mostly scorched. I spot the tail of Light End Dragon creeping into the courtyard. I get some peeks at his other Lightsworn monsters.

I'm so distracted that I almost get knocked in the head by another attack. All of a sudden, the thought of Kenta comes into my head. Is this what he wanted? An all-out fight. I can't imagine. Takumi and I are all for talking our way around things, rather than a brawl. Is this what Kenta wanted to do from the start? Fight our way out. Or did he make an honest mistake? Not listen to that big head of his, and ruin everything for everyone.

I barely miss another attack. Everything starts slowing down. Blood runs down my arm and on the inside of my mask. My wig is fine, but my mask is cracked. I feel myself starting to give out. Maybe I wasn't ready for this. I have three monsters out. Unicore, Valkyrus and now, Ashenveil. Why did I do that? I can barely cope with one monster on a good day. Why did I think this was a good idea? Kaoru has moved closer to me. He yells at me, but I don't understand him. My vision blurs over for a few seconds. My monsters move on their own. I think it's Kaoru controlling my monsters through our telepathic link. Eventually, Kaoru stops shouting at me out loud, skipping straight to the equivalent of yelling at me mentally.

Cold suddenly seeps into my feet. Kenta must be nearby, I think. Kaoru moves further away from me. To Kenta. I hear Kenta's name in his thoughts. My vision completely blacks out for a second. I spot a dragon fly through an alleyway, coming right at me. A lightning arrow comes from another direction. I do nothing. My body won't move fast enough. I can't even move my arms to shield myself.

"Come on, Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"

I hear a voice call as my body slams against the wall behind me.

* * *

I open my eyes to spot my mask sitting in front of my face. I try to sit up. My wig slides down the side of my face, falling to the floor. I stare at the gold mane of a dragon. I slide backwards towards the wall. _Am I going to die?_ That thought passes through my mind. It has been there too many times. The dragon moves, attacking. A beam of light blinds me, but I'm fine. Someone stands a few feet in front of me. They look back, eyes wide.

"Felix!" His name spills from my lips. He stares at my face. I realise that he's looking at my actual face. The makeup has long since worn off.

"Put your mask back on!" He shouts at me. His dragon doesn't move, he's waiting for me I realise. I scramble to fix myself. Once I'm ready, he commands his dragon to attack. He brings out another monster. Watt. I hear that. That's what kind of deck he has, I figure. I try to stand up, but my legs won't move. My back aches as I hold myself up off the ground. My hoodie is even more torn now. I have concrete dust all over me. Parts of my hoodie are stained red with blood. I can taste it too.

"Yuuka!" Kaoru runs over to me, running past Felix. Light End Dragon behind him keeps fighting. "Are you okay?" He moves to help me up, but I refuse. Kaoru shakes his head before commanding his dragon. He stares at Felix, but says nothing.

_He said my real name._ I realise. Felix definitely heard that. He knows now. He knows who I really am. A Yuuka who belongs to a gang. There's only one of me out there. I'm doomed, ruined. This is the end, I think.

I start heaving. My head starts feeling light again. The taste of blood feels my mouth again. My monsters disappear from in front of me. Felix runs towards me, but I still fall.

* * *

"A chilling roar echoes across the entire world! Become the symbol of hope and revolution! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier!"

A roar echoing across the courtyard is enough to shock me into consciousness. Someone has moved me against the wall. I try moving my arms, they ache. T-shirt fabric is wrapped around my wounds.

"You're awake." I look around. I've been moved into an alleyway. I spot Kenta dueling in the middle of the courtyard. Felix sits a little bit further down on the opposite wall. I note the few tears in his hoodie, and the charred spots at the shoulders. I nod. I feel for my mask and wig, they're still there.

"Thanks for back there." I say.

"No problem, I heard all the commotion from my apartment so I checked what was going on. He smiles. "Hey Yuudai, I saw you without your mask and wig there." Oh no. "What are you exactly?" He asks.

"A gang leader." I mutter, not answering the question directly. I'm not _wrong_.

"But, what is your gender?" I know what he's asking.

"A duelist." I shrug my shoulders. Even though I look like a female, I don't really know how to answer that question. I just accept whatever people see me as. Felix sighs, shaking his head.

"I'm guessing you're somewhere between boy and girl then?"

"Something like that. I don't really care what people see me as. My boyfriend doesn't care what I am, that's what matters to me."

"Oh, you have a boyfriend? What's your deal then? Straight, gay?"

"No." I answer.

"Lemme guess…" Felix trails off. "Bi?"

"Damn straight I am. Wait, that's a lie. I'm not straight." I laugh at my own joke. Felix merely shakes his head and sighs, all the while having a smile on his face.

"I just wanted to know if you look feminine most of the time." He says. "I recognise your aura from somewhere, I just want to know where. It limits it down if I know more about you." I stare at Felix's face. I get that feeling too. Maybe I saw him at the club once.

"Do you know Raiden Kimura?" I say. I don't know where it comes from. "If you've ever met him, then you've met me."

"Yeah, actually." Felix's eyes widen a little as he remembers. "Got me kicked out of Psycho once. He just randomly came up to me and started beating me up because I was dancing with this random chick." I start fiddling with my hands. "It was you, wasn't it?" His words taper off. His eyes are wide. I nod.

"Raiden was always cautious of other guys being around me. That's why most of my guy friends are gay, or at least aren't straight." I shrug my shoulders.

"Sounds terrible. Were you _with him_?" Felix raises an eyebrow. "I mean, you should never treat a lady like that. But especially, if you're dating."

"Kind of." I say. "It wasn't official."

"He didn't even need to worry about me." Felix chuckles in an awkward way. "I'm not really into that kind of relationship."

"Understandable. Are you aromantic or asexual then? People don't normally about being in between genders without being one of us." I laugh.

"Both." He answers. We share this knowing look and nod.

"Yuuka!" I hear Kaoru screaming in the distance. I tell him where I am mentally. He comes running down the alleyway to me. I feel his aura flare up when he sees Felix, who stands up to meet him.

"Kaoru, it's okay. We can trust him."

"You're from the Red Serpents, aren't you?" Kaoru straightens up. Felix is still taller however.

"I am." Felix throws his duel disk to the ground, lifting up his hands. "Don't worry. I'm on your side."

"How do I know that?" Kaoru slowly moves the card in his hand, almost daring him to make a wrong move.

"He protected me." I say. "We can trust him." Kaoru looks at me for a split second before lowering his duel disk. He keeps the card in his hand, ready. His aura is coming off really strong right now. I look at him now. I see a true threat, someone worthy of carrying a gang on his shoulders.

"Fine." Felix relaxes. I see him unclench his fists. "We're still fighting, I suggest you get your act together."

I hear a scream, then a thud. There's panicked voices, then everything falls silent.

"Not anymore." Felix says. He stares in the direction of the courtyard. We can't see anything, maybe he can get something from the auras. Kaoru runs back to the courtyard. Felix helps me up off the ground.

Kenta walks towards someone on the ground. Frost covers the ground in places. He starts talking but I can't hear him. His aura flares, then flickers, probably since he just finished a duel. Kenta Morinaga is truly terrifying. His eyes glow slightly, head cocked to the side. Their leader screams, throwing his hands up. Once the words _I surrender_ leave his lips, Kenta is already walking away. Their leader scrambles, along with everyone else who was left. Felix and I stay silent, staring. He felt it too. The power in his aura. The terror it inspires. If Takumi doesn't instil fear, then Kenta more than makes up for it.

I hear Takumi laughing. He pats Kaoru on the back. Kaoru juts forward, not expecting it. His thoughts are a jumbled mess. _One more_. That's what he says.

Kenta has completely disappeared. What is wrong with him? I run after him. I follow his aura. It hangs in the air. Static that brings a shiver to your spine. That's how I'd describe it. Cold, but alive. I find him, hiding on the other side of a dumpster. Knowing that I'm coming, he hides his face from me.

"What's wrong?" I ask. Kenta's shoulders shake.

"Nothing." I pause for a second. He's lying. Everything in his aura tells me that.

"Kenta."

"Everything's all wrong." He shakes his head. He rips his mask off, panting. I spot the tears building up. "It's only getting worse." My hand moves towards him on instinct.

"Kenta, what's going on?" I lower my voice. He shakes his head violently, ripping himself away from me. He holds himself as his entire body shakes. I can't make out most of his whispers. Kenta starts sprinting. His mask drops. I pick it up. I don't follow him.

I spot blood on the inside of the mask. I stare after Kenta. I hear Takumi's laughter echoing through the alleyway, and Kaoru's nervous laughter following. A feeling of uncertainty washes over me. Takumi claims there's one only gang left, but somehow, I don't think that's the end of our problems.


	47. The Moments When You're In So Deep

"You'd swear that we aren't friends anymore." Shinji says out of the blue.

"I told you, I've been busy." It's true. Between fighting gangs and patrolling what territory we have, I barely have any time. Seeing anyone outside of Yusei, Team Liberation and anyone at Poppo Time is hard. Shinji included. Even though, he is supposedly my best friend. "How about this?" I hold up some shirts for him to look at. Shinji doesn't complain when I drag him shopping, I like that about him. Kaoru would just complain the entire time.

"That one's cute." He points at the white shirt that I'm holding up. "But still."

"I'm sorry." I throw the shirt in my basket. "We should be able to spend time together soon." _Only one gang left._ I hear Takumi's voice in my head. I wonder if Shinji knows. He goes to say something, then stops. I look at him, but he shakes his head.

"I mean, we _can_ spend time together soon." I look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What's your master plan now Shinji?" Shinji's plans typically end with me crying in bed, swearing off alcohol for a whopping two days.

"Have you heard the news from Kaoru?" What has Kaoru done now?

"What news?" Honestly, I'm a little scared.

"We've formed a team for the WRGP and-"

"No." My tone is definite.

"Ah, why not?" Shinji pouts and crosses his arms. "You haven't even listened to me."

"I don't like people watching me while I'm dueling." I look around me before lowering my voice. "After my duel with _you-know-who,_ I'm not exactly confident in my ability to control my powers."

"Oh." Shinji mutters. He stays silent, so I go back to looking at the sale rack. "We need a benchwarmer, so you're always welcome."

"Ask Emiko." I say. "She'd want to be on a team with Kaoru, and she's a better duelist. I've never won against her, so you'd want her instead."

"Actually, she's already on the team. We were thinking..." Shinji trails off.

"Ask Anako." I cut him off. "Reika's in your pit crew, yeah? She'll agree." Shinji looks like he hadn't thought of that. Even though they had both Kaoru and Reika on their team. Then again, Emiko is there and hates having Anako anywhere near Kaoru.

"I suppose." He says. "We actually wanted to have you, Kaoru and Emiko as our main three, with myself as a benchwarmer."

"Not going to happen." I pick a pair of khaki coloured skinny jeans. "I'm already in the pit crew for another team anyway." I sigh at the fake front pockets, then I realise that's why it's in the sale rack.

"Yusei!" Shinji throws his hands up dramatically. "Should have guessed."

"Shut up."

"What's the deal with you two anyway?" Shinji raises an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing, I told you to shut up." I can feel my cheeks heating up. Shinji grins. I lower my eyes to the basket. He starts laughing. "I'm gonna pay for my shit now." No one can know, I think. He'd tell Kaoru, and then I'd have a blood splatter for a boyfriend.

* * *

I camp out on the Poppo Time couch until everyone except Yusei has gone to sleep. They stayed awake for a lot longer today. They're so excited for the WRGP, bless them.

I'm going to go see Martha tomorrow. That thought terrifies me. It's been so long since I've seen her. I've put it off for so long. I say that I don't know why. But I do. I don't know how she'll react. Does she even want to see me? Does she know that I became a Dark Signer? Yusei told me that she knows about them, but does she know about me? Yusei tries to convince that she would want to see me, despite that. As bad as it sounds, I don't believe him. The Dark Signers killed Martha. Why would she want one turning up on her doorstep again? I wouldn't. It would just be a painful reminder of that time. I don't want to inflict that on the woman that saved my life.

Dark Signers.

Even thinking about them brings back horrid memories. I stand up to go to bed. I can't bear to say anything to Yusei. I go into Yusei's room and sit down on the bed. I throw my jacket on the floor beside me. No tears fall, surprisingly, but they still threaten to. I rub my eyes. The door opens again. Yusei closes the door behind him. My back immediately straightens, my hands resting in my lap. His eyes drop from my face to my bare arms.

"What's wrong with your arms?" I stare down at my arms. A gasp escapes my mouth. The scars from the other day are still there. Definitive proof that I'm still in a gang. Unmistakable. Parts of my arm looked burnt, while other have jagged cuts. "Yuuka." Yusei's tone has me on edge. I look him in the eyes, he knows.

"Nothing, just some scars."

"They weren't there the other day." I can't lie. He knows. I stayed here the other day. He saw my arms then. I can't get out of this. I have to come clean. I can't speak, my body is frozen. " _Yuuka._ " His tone is pleading. He moves towards me.

"I-I'm sorry." The words keep falling from my mouth. My chest feels tight. I've fucked up.

"Yuuka, it's okay." Yusei sits beside me and puts his arm around me. I grab onto his shirt. My body shakes. "I know." I jump back up and lower my hands slowly.

"You know?"

"I know." He nods slowly. "You're part of Team Liberation, and you saved me that one day."

"I'm sorry." I repeat again. "I didn't want to lie to you, but I had to. I did it to keep you safe."

"But why did you join? You promised me that you were done with gangs." So many emotions flicker in Yusei's eyes.

"I almost destroyed the City once. For once in my life, I wanted to do some good." My fists ball up. "This is the only thing I know how to do, heck, the only thing I _can_ do."

"But you're putting yourself in danger. I know Ghost didn't attack you that time, it was someone from a gang." I start to shrivel up. "You could have died. Yuuka, I can't bear to lose you again."

"But I have to!" I try keeping my voice down, but it's hard. "Can't you understand?"

"I do." There's something in Yusei's eyes. I've never seen it before. "But you can't go putting yourself in trouble like that. What if something happened to you?"

"If I don't do this, I don't know what will happen to me." I think about the time before Yusei found me. I push those memories back before the tears come back.

"But you have to think of other people, Yuuka." His tone is stern. The look in his eyes forces me to meet them. "You can't just think about yourself anymore."

I stay silent for a while. I can't say anything. I move my lips, but no words come out. Yusei's face becomes softer. He pulls me in for a hug again. This time, I cry. I think about Yusei's words. He doesn't want to lose me. He's already suffered that pain twice. I don't want to put him through that. I never want to leave him. I never want to hurt him. I'm sure I've left some deep scars in my time. But never again. I swore that to myself after all was said and done.

"I'm sorry." Yusei says after awhile. "I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"It's okay." I mutter. "I needed it."

Yusei pulls back from the hug and rests his hands on my shoulders. "If you need my help, don't be afraid to ask for it, okay?" His eyes are soft now. I nod.

"You'd know about those things." I laugh as I wipe tears away.

"That's true." He chuckles.

"I love you." I cling onto him.

"I love you too." He says back. I feel my face light up. "Do you want to go to sleep?" He asks after awhile of just being in each other's arms.

"Not really. Can't sleep after I cry." I say, rubbing my eyes. I'm tired, but I'm just not able to go asleep. I'm just used to it at this point of my life.

"Okay." He says. To my surprise, he stays upstairs with me. I tell him about what Shinji asked me today. Apparently he's not surprised, people would want a good duelist like me on their team. My face heats up a bit at that comment. I'd call myself mediocre at best, I say. Yusei reckons they'd make a good team though. Kaoru and Emiko are both powerhouse duelists. Emiko is considering going pro once she graduates, she told me that the last time we met up for lunch. I reckon Shinji asked her around that time. From what I've heard, they've become quite close. Outgoing extroverts do flock together I suppose.

It's nice. Just sitting here, talking with Yusei in the early hours of the morning. Despite everything, he makes me feel safe, like nothing's wrong. If that isn't an accomplishment, then I don't know what is.

* * *

The Satellite is so different now. You almost wouldn't recognise it. Then again, the last time that I was here, I was so overcome with grief that most of it is a blur. We ride over a smooth highway on the way to Martha's. Amazing, considering how the only infrastructure here six months ago was abandoned underground tunnels.

"It's changed a lot!" Crow says.

"Yeah. It's no longer Satellite." Yusei says in response. He's wrong. This will always be the Satellite, no matter how time passes and as much as they say we are equal. Those eighteen years have carved their legacy into this place.

"The power of the citizens is rebuilding this City." Jack comments. No, just Jack's savings. This can only happen if you throw enough money at the problem.

I keep quiet for the rest of the ride. What am I even going to say? I grip the handles tighter in an effort to keep my hands from shaking. I take deep breaths. We pull up outside of Martha's. A sense of nostalgia washes over me. It's basically been five years since I've seen this place. Three kids run up to us.

"Crow!" One kid calls. Oh, they're Crow's kids. Should have guessed. "Long time no see!" The girl says. "Yusei and Jack are also here!" Another boy calls out. Martha and Saiga stand behind the kids. Why the heck is Saiga here? In Martha's of all places. I thought he was back in his old place, considering Takumi got him to cover some of our Team Liberation stuff.

"Thanks for coming, Yusei, Crow, Jack." Saiga greets the guys. Yusei takes his helmet off.

"And who have you brought with you?" Martha asks, moving so she can get a better look at me. My entire body stiffens. I take my helmet off, shaking. I put on my best smile, but I feel like it just comes off as awkward. Her eyes widen a little. "Well, if isn't Yuuka!" Her eyes to go to meet Yusei's, but he looks away.

"You seem to have settled in." Yusei turns his attention back to Saiga. I stare at Yusei. What's wrong with him?

"It's comfortable. I like living here." I'm just confused. Why is he here? We get off our D-Wheels. I want to cling to my helmet in order to calm my nerves but I can't do that.

"Are you kids behaving?" Crow bends down to the kids' level.

"Of course!" The older boy says.

"We're even doing our homework everyday." The girl chirps.

"Are you giving Martha a hard time?" Crow gives a smile to Martha.

"They're better kids than when you were a child." Martha doesn't miss a beat. Probably true. Crow and I caused so much trouble over the years. It's a wonder how she dealt with us for so long.

"Ouch!" Crow scratches the back of his neck and laughs. He knows it's the truth though. He couldn't deny that.

"Enough chitchat. Let's go inside." Martha says.

Martha goes into the dining room to talk to Dr. Schmidt. She pats me on the shoulder, telling me that she'll talk to me later. We end up standing around Saiga on his laptop. He brings up pictures of the meteor wreckage.

"There's something I wanted to tell you. You heard that a meteor landed on the City outskirts, right?" Saiga turns around to ask the guys. I lean against the far wall with my arms crossed. Martha didn't react _badly_ to me showing up, but I'm still nervous. Such feelings wouldn't dissolve in a second.

"Yeah." Yusei answers.

"That area is off-limits." Crow says.

"I heard a strange rumour." Saiga zooms in on the picture, getting a closeup look at the site.

"Strange rumour?" Jack muses.

"It wasn't a meteor, but a stone tablet. The Public Security Maintenance Department secretly retrieved it." Of course they're involved. For a split second, I thought they might be better with the City united and Godwin gone, but _no_.

"A stone tablet? Come to think of it, that's when Ghost appeared." I shrivel up a little as Yusei brings up Ghost. I can't help it.

"Are they related?" Crow ponders.

"It's Public Security Maintenance Department. I wouldn't doubt it." I say. Everyone looks at me.

"I don't know." Saiga sighs. "But I feel that something is happening in the shadows."

"Ghost has the power to seal away Synchro Monsters." Yusei says. I shiver at the thought of the Synchro killer.

"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down." Saiga says. The guys all agree. I say nothing. Ghost strikes a fear deep in my core. I couldn't let my guard down if I could.

"Right. Let's go check on Martha." Crow starts walking towards the dining room. I don't object and just follow everyone.

"You doing alright, Sasaki?" Saiga asks as we move between rooms. "I assume you're out of the business, since Kimura jumped ship?" I get a little shiver as Raiden is brought up.

"Yep, 'bout time I got out really." Saiga hums in agreement, but says nothing. I know what he's doing. He's seeing if he can bring up Team Liberation, but no.

"How troubling…" Martha says as we enter the room.

"Tetsuzo is pretty old." Dr. Schmidt says, sitting across from Martha at the dinner table.

"What's up?" Crow casually greets them and the kids like Martha didn't specifically leave us to have this conversation.

"Hello everyone." There's a worried tone to Martha's voice.

"Martha is worried." One of the kids say.

"What's wrong?" Yusei asks.

"An old man is living by himself at the outskirts of the former City. We're worried because he's all alone, so we invited him to live here." Dr. Schmidt explains.

"But he's stubborn, so he won't agree." Martha continues. Old people can be really stubborn sometimes.

"Crow, you have to do something." One of Crow's kids pipes up.

"Me? Convincing an old man isn't my-" Crow throws his hands up in defense.

"Yeah, Crow won't be able to do it." The other boy says.

"Yeah, he can't." The girl chime in.

"Totally impossible." The oldest boy says with a devious grin on his face.

"What do you mean, impossible? I'll show you! I'll take care of that old man!" I sigh. You can get Crow to do anything.

"Oi Crow…" I hear the hesitation in Jack's voice.

"Leave everything to me! Where's that old man?" I look at Yusei, who just kinda deadpans back at me. Why is Crow like this? That's what his face says right now.

"Crow never changes." I hear the kids whispering. "It's easy to manipulate him." I shake my head. Crow gives in too easy for his own good.

* * *

I don't join the guys and Saiga as they go off to convince Old Man Tetsuzo to come out of hiding. Dr. Schmidt has other appointments to deal with. Crow's kids start dueling at the dinner table, which leaves myself and Martha in the kitchen. My hands start shaking again. Martha makes me some hot water and lemon. She doesn't have coffee in the house, it doesn't agree with her, she says. And I can't stand tea, never have. I used to drink lots of hot water and lemon back in the day, then I got addicted to coffee.

"I knew you had gotten yourself arrested." Martha says as she sits down. Her hip is paining her, I can tell that by how she moves. "You always had a knack for getting into trouble. Always said it was a matter of time until Security got involved." She smiles, almost to herself. It falters for a second.

"I think we all said that." Martha nods and shakes her head, but I know she agrees with me.

"Where did they send you after you got arrested? Yusei never told me the details." I gulp.

"Apparently, I had living family in the City. So I got sent to live with them. I heard some strings were pulled." Martha hums.

"You're very lucky, to find your real family after so long."

"I guess." I sigh. Martha looks at me funny so I continue. "My birth mom wasn't the most accepting at first. I've only patched things up with her recently." I start chewing my cheek at the thought of Kasumi. I push away the bad memories. "I have a brother who's around Jack's age."

"Oh, really? Tell me about him."

"Hmm…" I ponder. What can you even say about him? "His name is Kaoru. He's a giant dork, very overprotective."

"I think that's what you need." Martha laughs. "Tell him that he's welcome to come over anytime, I'd love to meet him." I smile.

"I'm sure he'd like that." My smile falters. "How much did Yusei tell you?" Something in Martha's face changes.

"It was after the war with the Dark Signers." My fingers twitch. "He told you that you were on the side of the Dark Signers." I stay silent. "You had gotten arrested, and had come back to find him. He blames himself."

"I know he blames himself. I've told him not to."

"And you should blame yourself either." Martha looks me right in the eyes. "I know you do. I don't know how things went down, but if you two keep blaming yourselves, nothing is going to change." She sighs. "Yusei carries a lot of burden that he doesn't need to. I imagine that you've turned out the same. Let the past stay in the past. There's no point dwelling on what you can't change."

I nod, and Martha sighs. The kids come into the kitchen looking for lunch. Martha checks the time, saying that it's a reasonable time for lunch. She goes to stand up, but I beat her to the punch. She sighs, settling on just telling me what to make. I reheat some soup for everyone. There's a lot less kids here than I remember. Martha says it's because things have become a lot more stable. The first ten years or so after the Zero Reverse were rough, because they were so many young families living in this area. Before the unification, almost no children were being born. No one wanted to bring a child into an environment like the Satellite. Things are starting to look up now, she says.

I end up having lunch with Martha and all the kids at the dinner table. Crow's kids sure are a wild bunch. Though they are better behaved than Crow and I ever were. I gave them some boosters packs that I had never opened. You'd have sworn it was Christmas. But now, I've been dubbed _Big Sis_ by them so now I feel all happy inside.

I realise that it's the first time I've talked about that time without crying. Normally, bringing up anything to do with the Dark Signers causes me to breakdown. It's gotten better recently. There's just a few tears now. I suppose that's the case since I'm dating Yusei now. He makes me feel a lot better about myself as a whole. My almost daily mental breakdowns come every once in awhile. I can bear to talk about the Satellite now. He really is a miracle worker, even just by existing, he does so much.

I help Martha around the house for the rest of the day. I let her rest. The wrinkles in her face have only become more prominent. After all these years, she still somehow manages to get by with a full house of kids. I think I'd finish my time with my own kids and just give up, except the possible grandkids of course. Raising kids takes a lot of work, I know that. Some people can barely manage one child. But Martha, dozens of kids must have come through this house in the years since the Zero Reverse. That's why I've always admired Martha. She's so strong, she's what I aspire to be.

* * *

The guys show up again in the afternoon, with old man towing along. Apparently Crow dueled him on an old-fashioned dueling ring and managed to convince him to come to Martha's. I didn't think he'd actually do it. Yusei disagrees, but I think he's lying.

By sunset, the old man manages to make a Stardust Dragon statue from junk. I question as to why it was Stardust Dragon and not one of Crow's monsters. You know, because Crow was the one that dueled him. Yusei says it's because he has a Junk deck like the old man, which just confuses me more. Then again, Stardust Dragon is more aesthetically pleasing than anything in Crow's deck. Yusei looks so good at sunset, I realise. I end up staring at him, though I don't think anyone notices.

"Oh, Crow, perfect timing. Massage my shoulders, would you? They've really gotten stiff." Old man Tetsuzo starts climbing down from the statue after finishing it.

"Eh!? Why me!?" Crow exclaims.

"You dummy. 'Cause, obviously, massaging dad's shoulders is a son's duty." Apparently Tetsuzo has _adopted_ all of the guys. I imagine somewhere my dad is feeling replaced.

"Aw, brother…" Crow sighs, having dug that hole for himself.

"You heard him, Crow." Yusei pushes Crow in the direction of Tetsuzo. I find this funnier that I should. Yusei turns and smiles at me.

"You doing okay?" He asks me.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Yusei looks away from me for a split second.

"My _little talk_ with Martha went okay." He knew I was pretty anxious about this. It's nice to know that he thinks about me.

"That's good." He sighs a little sigh of relief. I hear Tetsuzo yelping in pain from Crow's massage. We all laugh at their exchange. Yusei's shoulder brush off mine. How I wish I could wrap my arms around him and let the world know how much I love this man. That's all I want to do in that moment.


	48. Sisterhood

Spinning. The spinning needle sits above me, moving ever closer. The features appear more clearly now. I start making blocks hanging down from it. Chunks of concrete start falling. Shards of glass do too. Windows. Flakes of paint come off the concrete. Walls. Metal frames fall making obscure shapes on the ground. Construction. Buildings, I say to myself. The center of it spins in a different direction. Rainbow light shines down on me. I start at it. Momentum. Yusei's mangled body appears before me for a split second. It disappears before I have time to scream.

"Yuuka!"

A vulture squacks in the background. Great, black wings start forming a circle around me. Magenta lines glow, forming patterns. I turn around. The Earthbound Immortal stares right at me. It lets out an earth shattering noise before lowering its head to me.

"Yuuka!"

The sensation of being doused in water is enough to knock me onto the ground. Kaoru hovers over me.

"I was meditating!" I shout back at him. He hands me my phone while I'm still lying on the ground.

"It's been ringing for hours. Please answer it." Kaoru's eyebrows are furrowed, his hair is a mess. Final year is really getting to him. It starts ringing again. He shoves it into my head, wrapping my fingers around it before storming out my bedroom door, slamming it shut. I look at the screen. Aki, huh.

"Hey." I greet her pretty casually.

"Why weren't you answering your phone?" She's practically screaming down the phone.

"I was meditating." I stare at the ceiling, I hear her sigh deeply.

"We were so worried."

"Why would you be worried about me?" I say that, but they have more than enough reasons. I close my eyes again. Despite being soaking wet, I'm actually quite comfortable on the floor.

"Yusei got kidnapped this morning." That is enough to make me jump up.

"What? Who? When? Why? What happened? Where is he now?" I start pacing around the room. I move my hands from my hair to start getting dressed, only to take a clump of hair with it. As soon as I tell Yusei about Team Liberation, he gets kidnapped. Whose ass do I have to kick? I go to list off the remaining gangs. Then I realise that only the Cardinal Dragons are left.

"He got kidnapping by people trying to recruit him for the WRGP." I sigh in relief. I'm safe, for now. "We're lucky that I got to him in time." She sighs next.

"He's okay?" I tentatively ask.

"He's okay." Aki confirms. I slowly lower myself onto my bed and exhale. It takes a few seconds for the shock to get out of my system. "Also, Yuuka?" Aki says after an extended pause.

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking of becoming a D-Wheeler." I don't say anything for a few seconds. It comes so out of left field that I never would have expected it. Aki never really seemed interested in the idea of Riding Duels. Understandable as the ability to hurt your opponents isn't actually wanted when you're going insanely fast.

"Really?" I say, not really sure what to think of it. I mean, Aki being a Turbo Duelist would be neat. There's not enough female Turbo Duelists around. She tells me about this French woman named Sherry. She challenged Yusei to a Riding Duel apparently. Aki finally got to experience a Riding Duel on a D-Wheel and understood the thrill you get. She wants that for herself, she says. "I'm glad you're doing this." I say. "I mean, you finally get to enter our world." I laugh. She hums in agreement, I can hear the excitement in her voice. We end up talking for awhile after that. I yell at Kaoru to send Aki all of his resources since his test was the last batch. Apparently, they're happening more than once a year since the WRGP got announced. She hangs up to go back to studying. I swear that woman will work herself to death. I shake my head as I look through the over thirty missed calls. I throw a towel over my bed, laying down. I ignore most of the calls, hitting the call back button on Yusei's single missed call.

* * *

Yusei only tells me about the WRGP premiere party when it's too late. I try to calculate it on my fingers. Between patrolling territory, looking for jobs and loving my boyfriend, I don't have enough time to make a dress. Yusei is confused by my panicking, which only confuses me. He's planning on going in his normal clothes. I sigh, just accepting that my boyfriend will never change. Apparently, he told Aki around the same time. So, we're both nervous about getting clothes. Aki got rid of most of her dresses recently. Too many memories, she says. I don't push. So she only really has sundresses, nothing fit for a party.

So we arrange another shopping trip. I end up running around the shops like a headless chicken, with Aki following calmly behind me. I buy a blazer. It goes over everything, I say. I'll need a blazer at some stage of my life. Only to realise that a blazer isn't exactly what I was looking for. Aki just sighs and brings me up to a boutique with proper dresses.

"How rich do you think I am?" I mutter under my breath, looking at the price tags.

"This is only to give you ideas." She says, looking through the sale rack. "Then, you go to cheaper shops, looking for something familiar."

"You're starting to sound like me." I comment.

"Those words were from your mouth, so I'm not surprised." Aki laughs. She ends up finding a gem of a dress in the sale rack. A strapless red dress that stops just before the knee. It flares slightly at the bottom into ruffles. Such a dress definitely wouldn't suit me as it would just make me look a lot wider, where as it suits Aki's slimmer figure a lot better. Meanwhile I'm stuck looking at dresses made for people a lot slimmer than me. It's here where I curse my broad shoulders and wide hips. I try to imagine each dress under a blazer. Nothing seems quite right.

I hear hangers being pushed frantically, and fast-paced muttering. A phone rings, and they answer it. I hear Emiko's voice.

"Why did you only tell about this today, Kaoru?" She grumbles into the phone. "You knew about this party, don't lie to me." There's a pause. Aki turns to me, gesturing in Emiko's direction. I nod. They're in the same class now that Aki got bumped up a grade. "Yuuka only found about this today too? You and Yusei are a lot alike, I'm telling you." I hear Kaoru making a fuss in my head. "What do you mean look around?" Emiko says. She peers over the rails and meets my eyes. "Later Kaoru!" She cuts him off by hanging up.

"Hey." I greet her, sending a casual wave.

"Yuuka! I wasn't expecting to see you here." She says. "Hi Izayoi!" She waves before coming over to us. Emiko's not wearing heels today, a rare occurrence. That was why I couldn't see her over the rails. Emiko is one of the smallest people that I know. I could pick her up even before I started going to the gym. "Why won't those boys ever tell us about stuff like this?" She sighs. "I have so much to study for next week, this is the only time that I can go shop for clothes."

"The Linear Algebra test?" Aki asks. Emiko throws her hands up, and shakes her head.

"Don't even talk to me about it." I chuckle. She acts like this, yet I can barely count.

"I found some really good notes online. Do you want me to send them to you?" Aki moves her hand to the back of her neck.

"Oh my goodness! Please!" Emiko closes her eyes and puts her hand together. They start talking about their test. They use complicated math words that I don't understand, so I just go back to looking at the racks. Nothing is to my taste here. Much too feminine for me. I mean, I'm pretty feminine but I don't exactly dress like it.

"What have you bought already?" Emiko points at the paper bag in my hand.

"A blazer." I say.

"And you want something to go over that, yeah?" I nod. Emiko brings to her hand to her mouth, thinking. She doesn't say anything and goes immediately to the racks. Her hands move furiously as she makes a lap around the shop. "Nothing." She says as she looks through the last few dresses. I notice a hanger in her hands. A fifties style red cocktail dress. "This is for me." She sheepishly grins. "Right, I'll buy this and we'll keep looking around."

* * *

I sigh as we check shop after shop. Though it's good for me as each shop gets cheaper. We've made our way to the cheapest shop, my favourite. The stuff isn't that bad in terms of quality. Emiko and Aki keep talking about school. Not surprisingly really, they're both bookworms. Both of them are in the top five in their year. Emiko is secretly bitter about being knocked out of the top three once Aki transferred in. I think she's getting over it. I slowly move through the racks by myself. Weird as it sounds, I'm not really in the mood to shop. I've just felt really weird recently. Too many things are playing on my mind. Ghost, gangs, and Raiden. Yusei is the same. It seems like one of us is having a bad dream every other night.

"Is this what you're looking for?" A voice says beside me. I jump, not expecting it. Anako holds up a red turtleneck dress. "No? Alright then." She places the dress back on the racks a bit further down.

"Ah no, that's a really nice dress. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Gave you a fright, didn't I?" Anako laughs.

"You did." I smile. "How have you been?" I ask.

"Pretty good." She smiles. "And you? Trusting you haven't attacked by more psychics."

"No, I haven't been attacked, thankfully. So, I'm doing better than before." Anako laughs and brushes some hair behind her ear.

"That's good." Anako fixes her ponytail. "You've had a rough time recently."

"I have." I shake my head.

"I heard Shinji asked you to be on his WRGP team."

"Yeah. I said no though."

"Oh." She looks disappointed. "He asked me too."

"What did you say?" I continue looking through the racks. I stop at the dress that Anako showed me. I pick it up. Could look pretty good under a blazer. I used to wear something like this all the time. Got destroyed in my duel with Raiden, unfortunately. I always that the dress and waistcoat combo was super cute. I suppose it wouldn't look that much different with a blazer.

"I said yes." She rubs the back of her neck. She's fidgeting a lot more than I remember.

"You should be a lot happier, considering Kaoru is on the time and all." I give her a cheeky smile.

"Oh yeah, I guess." She doesn't meet my eye, weird.

"Oh hey Anako." I hear Emiko's voice behind me. Her tone is completely flat. Emiko's a bunch of dresses thrown over her arm, and I even think I see a pair of trousers in there. Emiko looks at the dress in my hands, and then back to Anako.

"Hi Emiko." There's a slight twinge of panic in Anako's voice.

"Have you picked out a dress for the party yet?" Emiko asks. Her face is completely neutral.

"Think so." Anako takes a skin tight black dress out of her basket. "I just need to try it on." Aki looks between them, and back to me, confused.

I slowly move away from them, and keep looking through the racks. I keep the red dress in my arms, I'm starting to get quite fond of it actually.

"What's going on between them?" Aki whispers when we get far enough away from them.

"Basically." I sigh. "That's what people think we should be like." She looks at me confused. "I'm pretty sure they both like Kaoru."

"Oh." Aki's eyes widen a little bit. "I'm glad we're not like that."

"Me too." I shake my head, sighing. "Crow was confused by us at the start, you know, since he thought we both liked Yusei. People confuse me. Just cause two girls like the same guy doesn't mean they can't be friends, y'know. Like who cares about some guy?" Even if Aki liked Yusei, I'd still be friends with her. Who she likes is her own business, and I wouldn't judge her merit solely based on that.

* * *

I end up buying that red dress Anako picked out for me. Emiko seemed a little disheartened, since she had basically taken that job onto herself. Things between them seem to calm down a little, so we all go for coffee. I say coffee, it's only Anako and I drinking coffee, since Aki and Emiko go straight for the tea.

"Apparently Takumi is planning a huge night out." Anako says out of the blue. "Y'know, to celebrate." She gives me this look.

"To celebrate what?" Emiko asks.

"No idea." She's lying. Anako refuses to meet my gaze as she says it.

"Yeah, he's been bugging me about going clubbing for the last while, so that's basically what it is." I try to keep it as vague as possible. I know exactly what Anako is talking about. Takumi is getting everyone to go out clubbing once we finish conquering every gang. I'm pretty sure she knows about Team Liberation. It leaked through Kaoru, that I'm certain of. The conversation suddenly fades before Emiko speaks up again.

"Oh Aki! Kaoru told me you're becoming a D-Wheeler!" Emiko's face lights up like she suddenly remembered it out of the blue.

"Are you excited?" Anako asks, holding her coffee cup in both hands as if she wants to absorb all of its heat.

"I am." Aki smiles. "Wouldn't that make everyone here a D-Wheeler?" She blinks slowly.

"Yeah, it would." Anako nods. "Good thing too. We always need more female D-Wheelers, maybe then we'll actually be taken seriously." She huffs. I shake my head, Anako has always been like this. Rallying behind every cause she can. She even has a job at a psychic helpline. I can't imagine the stories she's heard.

"If you help with anything, you can always ask us." Emiko flashes Aki a peace sign.

"Yeah, I can beat up guys who make fun of you." They all laugh, but at the same time, they all know that I'm completely serious.

It's actually nice. Having more than one female friend is great, a shocking concept, I know.

"Yuuka's actually making my Riding Suit." Aki says. Anako and Emiko both look slightly offended. I don't meet their eyes.

"Why aren't you making me one?" Emiko pouts.

"Yeah, I'd love a suit made by you." Anako follows, leaning her head on her hands.

"Oh, you know what she can do." Emiko turns to Anako with an excited look in her eyes. "She could make the suits for our team! And they could all match, it'd be so cool."

"Yeah, it would." Anako's eyes sparkle. They both turn towards me, looking at me expectantly.

"I'm too poor for that." I say outright. "Besides, I'm having a hard enough time designing my own suit." Aki wanted her design to be pretty simple. It was easy to come up with. Mine on the other hand, boy, it is a journey.

"We'd pay you of course." Anako winks at me. I put my hand to my mouth. I feel my eyes twinkle at the thought of money. Emiko throws money at me every now and again to make a dress from an unusual fabric. But something on this scale? I could buy myself a lot of food with that sort of money.

"Yeah." I pause. "Sounds like fun." I say fun, but that material is anything but.

"Yes!" Emiko claps her hands really fast before grabbing Anako's. They both freeze when they realise their position, lowering their hands awkwardly. "But I'm so glad! I love everything you make." I spot a faint red tinge to Emiko's cheeks.

* * *

I walk Aki home after everything's said and done. She sighs happily. She's probably never that experience, I realise. Going shopping with a group of friends, then again, neither have I. We're a lot alike, I always catch myself thinking.

"Are you excited?" I ask her.

"About what?"

"Learning how to ride a D-Wheel? The party? The WRGP? Everything, really."

"Yeah." She nods. "I feel like for once in my life everything's starting to go right. Do you know what I mean?"

"I suppose." I smile. Only for a brief few moments. There's always something plaguing on my mind. Raiden, Ghost, gangs, any number of bad memories. One day, I'll be normal, I keep saying. One day, I'll just wake up normal. That's a thought alright. One day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 46, Double Crossed, has been rewritten slightly. It's worth a reread if you're interested.


	49. Take a Chance

"What? You want to challenge me?" Jack stands in the entrance of the garage, coming down from the kitchen. The morning light trickles into the garage. Yusei nods.

"What do you mean, Yusei!? You wanna go against Jack?" Crow moves towards Yusei, carrying some delivery boxes.

"Well, I've had it on my mind for awhile now…" I know Yusei's telling the truth. I know the feeling of having one too many nightmares. "But I want to find another way to fight, one without using Synchro Summoning."

"Another way to fight?" Jack asks. I cross my arms.

"You remember my duel with Ghost, right?" How could we forget? That duel left a bitter taste in all of our mouths.

"Your duel with Ghost…" Crow echoes.

"Synchro Prevention, huh?" Jack mutters.

"Savior Star Dragon bailed me out then… but if Ghost shows up again, I'm not confident I'll win. That's why I want to find a way to fight without using Synchro Summoning." Yusei says he wants to fight without Synchros. Whether such a feat is possible with Yusei's deck, we'll see.

"Yusei…" Crow mutters.

Jack, being the drama queen that he is, jumps over the banisters, landing in front of Yusei. "Fine then, I'll face you. However, there will be no holding back."

"Right." Yusei nods.

"Alright! I'll tag along!" Crow adds.

"Sure." I say, moving to get my riding pads and helmet. "Not like I have anything better to do."

* * *

"But, given the facts, could there really be some new way to fight?" Crow says once we're on the road.

"For us? I don't know." I answer. The obvious option here is too hard to pull of right now without completely changing our decks.

"Let's go, Yusei!" Jack calls out.

"Okay!" He answers. The lane changes around us as Speed World 2 activates. I start to zone out. I already know how this duel is going to end. Yusei is going to lose badly. His deck, just like mine, relies heavily on Synchro Summoning. Ignoring that key mechanic is asking to lose. Our only options are Ritual and Fusion Summoning. Typically, decks are built around those summoning methods, rather than having it tacked on.

I remember how Yusei shook after his nightmare this morning. He can't keep fighting with Savior Star Dragon, he said, as he did before. He can only summon it with the power of Crimson Dragon. It's something he can't rely on. He can't control when it appears. It's not a real weapon. That's what he said. I can understand where he's coming from, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

He has Turbo Warrior, I reminded him. A Synchro Monster that cannot be affected by Level 6-or-below Monsters. He has a counter to Ghost right there. He can't afford to rely Turbo Synchron, he responded. I just sighed and left him alone. This was his answer, challenging Jack to find one.

"The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Jack's shouts pull me back to reality. "Yusei, let me show you how naive your ideas are! Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Backup Warrior! Absolute Powerforce!" Once Yusei's life points drop, Jack screeches to a halt. We all manage to stop before we cause a crash. Crow starts to shout at Jack, but is interrupted. The holograms start to fade.

"The duel is off!" Jack shouts as the duel lane returns to normal. "The outcome is already clear. There's no point in going any further. Duels are all about power! Regardless of who you're facing, you have to overcome them with Synchro Monsters!" Though I disagree with duels being about power, I can't deny that Jack has a point. We have to make use of the weapons that we are able to use, that leaves us with Synchros.

"But they have Synchro Prevention. If they absorb your Synchro Monster…" Crow's words trail off. I see Yusei's fists clench. His arms shake. I sigh. All of us are at a dead end. Every minute puts us closer to Ghost's next strike.

"I'll win, regardless!" Jack says before he drives off. Crow stares after him and mutters his name under his breath. I look at Yusei. He's more shaken up by this than he'd like to admit. Comforting words can only do so much when you can't offer a solution.

* * *

"Pass the straightener." Emiko makes a grabby gesture towards Anako.

"Give me a minute, geez." Anako shakes his head while rolling her eyes. She's wearing her hair down for the party, a rarity. It's been years since she's wore her hair down, you only realise how long it is once it's down. It already reaches the bottom of her ribcage. "Why didn't you bring yours?"

"Yuuka said she was bringing hers, I didn't think I needed to!" Emiko pouts.

"I brought this straightener, and I don't think I'm even going to get to use it." I sigh, turning to Aki. We're all currently camped out in Aki's bedroom, getting ready for the WRGP party. At Aki's invitation, of course. She shakes her head, smiling.

"No, don't straighten your hair." Anako says. I showered before coming over here, but since I didn't straighten my hair first, my hair is slightly curly and a lot fluffier than normal.

"She's right. It such a shame that you always straighten your hair." Emiko says. "I think you should leave your hair like that." I look at her, while putting my hand on the headband in my hair, keeping all of the hair out of my face so I can put makeup on. "You know what I mean." She flicks her hand in my direction, in an attempt to make me stop looking at her funny.

"Guess I will then." I shrug my shoulders before shutting up so I can put my eyeliner on.

"So I see you're perpetuating the stereotype of girls being unable to keep their mouths closed while putting on eyeliner."

"Shut up Anako." I say back. Everyone laughs at how rapid my reply was. Aki's ready first, no surprise to anyone there. I'm not ready too long after her. Meanwhile, Anako and Emiko are far too busy to get ready in a reasonable time. I thought they weren't supposed to be getting along. Aki gives me a look, telling me that she's thinking the same thing. We decide to help them, because we would be here for many hours otherwise.

* * *

Aki's dad arranges a driver to take us to the party, not that I complain. We get dropped in the car park. I spot the Yusei's and Crow's D-Wheels while walking to the entrance. We meet the twins, Yusei and Crow inside. We go together down the steps to the main hall.

"I like that colour on you." Yusei says it low enough that I can hear. I just nod and smile, trying to keep my face from going red and matching my dress.

"This is awesome!" Rua gasps. "No less from a World Riding Duel Grand Prix Premium Event!" I spot Kaoru, Shinji and Reika a little bit away from us. The guys opted for a shirt and slacks, while Reika showed up in her regular jeans and riding jacket. No surprise there.

"Still, rarities do exist." Crow says. "Not only Rua, but even Aki came along." Though, I imagine he's not complaining about Aki being here.

"Huh? Oh, well…" Aki stumbles over her words.

"I'm gonna say hi to my brother." I wave to the gang before following Emiko and Anako.

"Oh look who it is." Shinji says once he sees me, shaking his head. "Such a shame, you could have been here with us." He tuts.

"I already told you, I'm here with those losers." I gesture in the direction of Yusei, whose hair isn't that difficult to spot in a crowd.

"Why are you wearing that dress?" Kaoru asks. Shinji's eyes widen slightly, as he turns to look at him. "It's too short."

"Dude, she's worn a lot shorter dresses than that." Shinji says in response. The dress reaches halfway down my thigh, there's a _lot_ shorter dresses out there. I would know, cause I've worn them. Kaoru huffs, I hate when he puts on this 'sensible older brother' persona.

"Let her wear what she wants, stop being a butthole." Anako jumps in the conversation. Emiko laughs repeating the insult to herself. I spot Jack over by the guys, in an incredibly ridiculous outfit. I sigh, shaking my head and turn to back to my friends, not wanting to deal with that right now. Reika just shakes her head slowly at me, sighing too. Kaoru shuts up at this. I look at Shinji in a tight black shirt and matching black slacks. I freeze. Raiden used to wear the exact same thing. Everything starts to blur together as my breathing quickens. I feel Anako place a hand on my arm. She smiles at me, which calms me down a bit.

I hear laughing over the speakers, as screens start appearing all over the room. Jaeger appears on the screens. I sigh. "I would like to welcome you all to this Premium Event for the first World Riding Duel Grand Prix. As all of you know, Neo Domino City has undergone great changes." Oh here we go, we're going to get a lecture on great this City is. But we all know that it couldn't be further from the truth. "Following the opening of the Daedalus Bridge, the boundaries between the City and Satellite have vanished, transforming it into a literal utopia where anyone and everyone can enjoy dueling." I almost laugh out loud, what a load of bull. Anako gives me a knowing look, she knows that too. "The World Riding Duel Grand Prix, or WRGP for short, is an event which serves as a symbol for the newly reborn Neo Domino City. A major event that will build bridges to peace for all eternity!" I don't clap. Only Emiko claps from our group. She looks around confused at us. She's a pampered rich kid whose eyes haven't been opened yet. The rest of us know how terrible this City really is underneath the guise of an utopia. Next, the MC from the Fortune Cup's face appears on the projections. I sigh again.

"Now then, I'm taking this opportunity to give a summary of the first World Riding Duel Grand Prix!" I resist the urge to groan. When will they get rid of this guy? A projection of the Riding Duel course appears in the centre of the room. "The course will be the circling course currently under construction in Neo Domino City's suburbs. The course is ever-changing! In a few months, a series of hot duels will unfold on this varied course in the final round by the D-Wheelers that have cleared the local preliminary rounds! And the highlight of all this will be the three-man team Endurance Riding Duel!" I start tuning out. There's only so much I can put up with. Once the little introductory talk is over, I excuse myself to go find Yusei. I find him next to a buffet table.

"Oh man, I'm starving." I say, looking at the food. Yusei jumps slightly, not expecting me to appear so suddenly. "You doing okay, honey?" I try to say, despite my mouth being full of food.

"You look really nice tonight." He says, completely ignoring my question. I know he likes the red on me, but _still_. I furrow my eyebrows. He ignores my gaze.

"You're not supposed to lie to me, remember?"

"I'll tell you when we get home." He mumbles, must be bad if he's mumbling.

"Yusei Fudo?" Someone calls out, Yusei turns to look at them. "So, you are the Yusei Fudo who won the Fortune Cup. The word gets around. Oh, pardon me! We haven't introduced ourselves. We are Team Unicorn." The guy gestures to the rest of his team. I raise an eyebrow

"Team Unicorn!?" Crow seems to appear out of nowhere. "I know you guys! You're the Riding Duel Team on a hot-streak! You guys are entering the WRGP too?" I shake my head, surely that should be obvious.

"And you are?" The guy talking to us seems a little taken aback by Crow's sudden appearance.

"I'm Crow, Yusei's teammate." Crow introduces himself with a smile.

"Excuse me." Yusei suddenly turns away from Team Unicorn and starts walking, slightly grazing my shoulder. I take that as my cue to follow him.

"Yusei? Hey, what's wrong!?" Crow calls out after him. I start power walking to keep with Yusei's pace. Boy am I glad I swapped red heels for black flat shoes right now. "Sorry 'bout that. He's not his normal self. You'll have to excuse me." Crow runs after us. "Hey Yusei!" Crow hops between Yusei and I to grab his shoulder, only for Yusei to shirk him off.

"Let go!" Yusei says before he starts walking again, I stay one step short of Yusei. He needs his space right now, but still, I can't help but want to be by his side.

"What are you so on edge about? Is it about Ghost?" Crow's taunts stop Yusei dead in his tracks. "Bullseye, huh? Not saying I don't understand, but that wasn't right back there. They came over to greet you and everything." Crow's right, but Yusei's not in the right frame of mind right now. I can empathise with that.

"Sorry. Tell them I apologise." Yusei walks away, slower this time. I move closer to him, he leans into me slightly. I hear Crow sigh behind us.

I hear the sound of a D-Wheel approaching. I stop, looking around. Yusei notices too, moving back to my side. I hear someone screaming, followed by sound of glass breaking. A D-Wheel lands inside the hall, with glass flying everywhere. More people are screaming now. The driver of D-Wheel moves around the hall before stopping in the center.

"Look at all you meetin' here being all fancy-shmancy…" The D-Wheeler shouts. "WRGP, my ass! Riding Duels ain't some little game!" I spot marks on his face. Security officers start to surround him, only for him to drive right through them. "Outta my way! Outta my way!" The crowd parts quickly, leaving Aki standing right in the centre, duel disk ready.

"Aki!" I scream.

"Move it! Move it! Move it!" The man on the D-Wheel shouts at Aki.

"I summon Black Rose Dragon!" Aki shouts as her dragon appears. Black Rose Dragon flies towards the D-Wheel, hitting it with one of its thorns. The D-Wheel flies out the window, causing more glass to fly everywhere. Security officers run out the holes in the window to the overturned D-Wheel. Somehow, the man is able to get away on the D-Wheel. I blink slowly as the sound of the D-Wheel gets further and further away.

I run to Aki, and make sure she's okay. Crow's panicking more than I am. Kaoru grabs me by the shoulders, shaking me, to see if I'm okay. Anako manages to get him off me. The room has mostly cleared out. I can hear Emiko on the phone with her dad.

"I'll make sure she gets home safe." Anako leaves my side as Emiko starts running, still on the phone.

An uneasy feeling floods over me. Something stirs inside me. I reach out for Yusei and grab his sleeve. Everyone turns to me expectantly.

"W-What was that!?" Ushio passes by us. "Ghost!?" Everyone stops in their tracks. Yusei starts running and we follow. We run towards the garage. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I stumble a few times, but I keep going. Someone stands in our path once we reach the garage. We all grind to a halt.

"What's the big idea, jumping out!? Watch where you're going!" Crow shouts at the man decked out in a riding suit. He didn't really jump out, from what I remember, then again I might be too zoned out to notice.

"Who's he?" Rua says behind me. The man walks slowly, standing in front of Yusei.

"Let's go, Yusei!" Jack says and we start moving again.

"You'd be wasting your time." The man says, stopping us in his tracks. "Even if you went, the duel would be over. And suppose we were to say it wasn't over, Yusei… As you are now, you cannot beat Ghost. Not unless you surpass your own limitations."

"My own limitations?" Yusei echoes.

"That is the only way to beat him." That's man aura. It's like nothing I've ever encountered. It's not an aura that belongs to a psychic. It's somehow _metallic_. The sensation of brushing your hands on ice cold steel.

"Gimme a break! What's your big deal, bud? Coming outta nowhere and acting like a big shot!" Crow starts running his mouth. Somehow, as strange as it sounds, I believe this mysterious man. Yusei glances back to me, I nod.

"What did you mean by that?" Yusei turns back to the man and asks.

"Follow me." The man starts to move. "It'd be quicker if you try it out for yourself than if I explain it. I'll show you the new strategy none of you know about."

"New strategy?" Yusei echoes again. The mystery man nods and starts to walk away. Yusei, Jack and Crow go towards their D-Wheels.

I lead Aki and the twins to the main entrance of the building. We find a spot that overlooks the Riding Duel course. Crow and Jack pull up on their D-Wheels behind us.

"You're letting him go through with this? What if this is a trap to lure Yusei into the open!?" Aki immediately turns and starts shouting at Crow. I can't keep my eyes off the track.

"Yeah, it just might." Crow ponders.

"Then, why!?" I hear the frustration in Aki's voice.

"It's a risk he can't afford _not_ to take." I close my eyes. I saw the pain in Yusei's eyes. We're out of solutions, and someone offers us one? He'd be crazy not to take this chance.

"Yusei sensed something in him. Something that joins them both together as D-Wheelers…" Crow says.

"As D-Wheelers…" Aki echoes. I don't she's told the guys her plan yet. That's the world Aki wants to enter now.

"It'll be fine, Aki. No need to worry with Yusei around." Rua's right. We just need to trust Yusei knows what he's doing.

"Y-Yeah."

The uneasy feeling from earlier hasn't gone away. I lean on the railings. I close my eyes and try not to vomit. Maybe stuffing all that food in my mouth was a bad idea. They're moving so fast that it's honestly making me feel worse. I turn my back to the course. Everyone seems so enthralled in this speed match that no one bats an eye.

I hear the lanes starting to change. "Alright, they're dueling." I hear Jack says. I walk over to Crow's D-Wheel, getting their duel up on the monitor. Dark Glass, huh? What kind of name is that? This guy sure is a mysterious one. A pseudonym like that, he must be hiding something. I sit on the seat of Crow's D-Wheel in an attempt to make myself feel better. Everyone crowds around me to watch the duel.

"Come on, Yusei! Bring it on and don't hold back!" Dark Glass eggs Yusei on, urging him to take the first turn.

"My turn!" Yusei starts. "I summon Tricular from my hand in defense mode(DEF:300)! I set one card and end my turn."

"Getting a solid scope of things first, I see." I can hear the smirk in Dark Glass' voice. "My turn!" Both of their Speed Counters increase for the first time. "This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if there are monsters only on my opponent's field! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Tech Genus Striker(ATK:800)!"

"Tech Genus Striker? I've never seen that monster before." I can barely hear Yusei's mutters over the speakers. Neither have I. Who exactly is this guy?

"A Tuner Monster already. Guess he's going for a Synchro Summon." Jack comments like it isn't already obvious.

"And this card can be Special Summoned from my hand when I Special Summon a Level Four-or-lower Monster to my field! I Special Summon Tech Genus Werewolf(ATK:1200)! I'm tuning my Level Two Tech Genus Striker to my Level Three Tech Genus Werewolf! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Tech Genus Power Gladiator(ATK:2300)!"

"A Synchro Monster!" Rua gasps.

"Next, I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Tech Genus Cyber Magician(ATK:0)!" Another Tuner? Interesting.

"No way! He's Synchro Summoning twice in one turn!?" Crow exclaims. It's not exactly common, but not unheard of either. I've actually managed to pull it off before.

"When I Synchro Summon using this card, I'm allowed substitute a monster needed for the Synchro Summon from my hand!" I raise a hand to my mouth. His deck must be very reliant on Synchros. How he has the answer to defeating Ghost, I don't know.

"Synchro Summoning using a monster from your hand!?" Rua gasps again. He's seen Aki do it before, I'm not sure why he's this surprised.

"I'm tuning my Level One Tech Genus Cyber Magician to my Level Four Tech Genus Rush Rhino! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Tech Genus Wonder Magician(ATK:1900)!" His next Synchro Monster appears.

"Now there's two Synchro Monsters!" Yusei exclaims next. Honestly, I swear these people are shocked by the littlest things.

"Will Yusei be okay?" I hear the worry in Ruka's voice.

"He'll be fine. He wouldn't lose to that guy!" Rua assures her.

"Let's go, Yusei! Tech Genus Power Gladiator attacks Tricular! Take this Piercing Damage!" Yusei's life points half in an instant.

"Yusei!" Rua shouts as Yusei's D-Wheel shakes and swerves, only to sigh in relief once he's stable again.

"What's wrong, Yusei? You're staggering!" Dark Glass comments, he's right.

"When Tricular is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Vehicler from my deck(DEF:200)!" Good, now Yusei shouldn't take more damage.

"Then, Tech Genus Wonder Magician will attack Vehicler! Machiner's Sorcery!" I sigh, knowing that his turns is over.

"When Vehicler is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon Unicycler from my deck(DEF:100)!"

"I end my turn." How's Yusei going to deal with facing two Synchro Monsters?

"Alright, he's got a monster left!" Rua cheers.

"Well, what's the matter, Yusei? It's your turn!" Dark Glass continues egging on Yusei.

"My turn!" Their Speed Counters increase again, now standing at 2. "I activate the Speed Spell - Synchro Defuse! When my Speed Counters are two or more, it allows me to gain control of a Synchro Monster on my opponent's field until the End Phase!"

"Control of a Synchro Monster?" Jack echoes.

"Now it's all clear!" Crow jumps in with widened eyes. "By using that effect, he'll recreate the same situation as when his Synchro Monster was absorbed by Ghost."

"I'll gain control of Power Gladiator!"

"Alright!" Rua cheers.

"What is he doing?" Jack questions as Dark Glass, all of a sudden, speeds up.

"Behold, Yusei!" Dark Glass exclaims. "This is the new battle-style that will beat Ghost! Accel Synchro!"

"Accel Synchro!?" Yusei echoes. I move so I can get a better look at the screen. Dark Glass only keeps accelerating. As he goes faster, light starts shining out from the screen. I cover my eyes before it blinds me. When I open my eyes again, the monitor is completely blank.

"What's going on?" I mutter. I move so Crow can fiddle around with his D-Wheel.

"Why is it not working?" Crow curses under his breath.

"Accel Synchro." I repeat as I hear my heartbeat in my ears. Everyone turns to me, looking expectantly. "That's why it's not working."

"How does that make any sense!?" Jack crosses his arms, scowling.

"I don't know, but something tells me this is the answer we're looking for."

"Is this how we'll defeat Ghost?" Rua asks me. I nod. I don't know why I'm certain of, but I always listen to my gut instinct.

We all stay silent staring at the screen. Aki checks if we can see the duel from the railings, no luck. I feel oddly calm. Everyone else is on the verge of panic. I tell them to wait, that Yusei will be fine. I can feel his aura from here. I tell Crow to try connecting to the duel again. The monitor switches back on.

"The monitor's back to normal!" Crow exclaims. I see Aki looking at me with wide eyes.

"What's that monster?" There's a single monster on Dark Glass' field. What happened to those two Synchros? I feel my heart beat wildly in my chest again. Everything seems to slow down. I feel like I'm in one of those moments that will change the course of history.

"Yusei's Life Points are down to 1100!" Rua shouts, clearly worried. I still feel oddly calm. I don't know where this comes from.

"What's wrong, Yusei? Given up?" I feel Yusei's aura twinge. He's been shaken by whatever just happened.

"My turn!" Yusei continues regardless. "I activate the Speed Spell, Speed Energy! Drill Warrior's attack power will increase equal to the number of my Speed Counters times 200(ATK:2400-3200)! Next, I summon Gauntlet Warrior(ATK:400)! By releasing this card, it'll increase the attack power of a Warrior-Type Monster on my field by 500 points! I release Gauntlet Warrior! Now, Drill Warrior's attack power increases to 3700(ATK:3200-3700)! Drill Warrior attacks Tech Genus Blade Gunner! Make it shatter, Drill Lancer!"

"Alright!" Rua cheers. I smile.

"Monster effect activates! Tech Genus Blade Gunner can remove itself from the game once per opponent's turn!" My eyes widen.

"What!?" Yusei exclaims as Dark Glass' life points drop to 0. Everyone gasps, including myself.

"He protected his monsters, reducing his Life Points!" Crow shouts.

"No, he threw the match." I say, raising my hand to my mouth.

"Why would he throw the match!?" Everyone turns to me as Jack shouts.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." I ponder. "But I'm sure it has something to do with Accel Synchro."

"Accel Synchro." Crow echoes. Everyone goes silent again as we wait for Yusei to return. I stare up at the moon. Accel Synchro. Is that the answer we've been searching for?


	50. Shall We Skate

"How do I even put this on?" I hear Aki say from the other side of the bathroom door. "Oh wait nevermind." I hear her fumble around a bit. Maybe I made her Riding Duel suit a bit  _too_  tight. It's a few second before I hear her zip it up. I hear her take a deep breath, before opening the door. Aki's face is completely red, nearly matching the colour of her suit. I ended up going for black pads with black stripes for accents, along with a design on her abdomen.

"How do I look?" She asks.

"I think you look great, the person who designed that suit is really talented. Like someone should really give their own clothing line, y'know?" Aki laughs.

"Thank you. This is so different." She looks down. "I would never have imagined myself wearing one of these." Everything seems to fit right, I won't need to make any adjustments thankfully. I'm sick of working with that fabric.

"Don't mention it." I wave my hand. "But now you are, and you're rocking it. We should probably go show the guys." I let Aki go down the stairs into the garage first.

"Alright, it's all tuned." I hear Yusei say, following the clinking of tools.

"Lookin' sharp." I cringe as Crow wolf whistles. I shoot him a glare and he shuts up.

"You are what you wear, as they say." Jack comments.

"I don't look like myself." Aki moves the helmet in her arms awkwardly.

"Well, it  _suits_  you, doesn't it?" I groan at Yusei's pun. I see him roll his eyes. We finish the walk down the stairs. We stand at the foot of the D-Wheel Yusei threw together in a matter of days, just for Aki. "I built it out of parts I got from a friend's junkyard. It should manage fine if you're using it to practice."

"Thank you, Yusei." Aki smiles. "I'm going to use it to get my Riding Duel licence."

As soon as Aki leaves later, I hit Crow over the head. Everyone turns to me.

"What was that for!?" Crow shouts at me.

"You don't wolf whistle at a girl!" I shout back. "No, you tell her ' _wow, you look beautiful_ ' or ' _that colour really brings out your eyes_ '. You wolf whistle, she's uncomfortable and only thinks you like her for how she looks instead of her personality or whatever."

"Okay, fine, whatever!" Crow throws his hands up and goes upstairs. Jack goes off and does whatever Jack does, honestly I don't even know at this point. Probably something involving expensive coffee. Then, it's just Yusei and I in the garage. I sigh.

"You're right." Yusei says.

" _Thank you!_ " I over exaggerate my face. "I mean, I already knew I was, but still." Yusei smiles while shaking his head.

"So, you said you finally finished  _your_  Riding suit." He gives me this look which honestly makes me a little flustered.

"Pervert." I smack his shoulder, I can feel my face heating up. "And yes, I have. I'll try it on at some stage for you." I wink at him, two can play at that game.

* * *

Yusei and I arrive after school ends to watch Aki try to get through the handling section of qualification. I've explained how the whole 'getting your licence' thing works to Yusei. First, they check you can actually handle a D-Wheel and  _not_  crash while going around a set course. Then, there's a Riding Duel you have to win to get your licence.

"They're at it, huh?" Yusei says as we walk up to Rua and Ruka in stands by the side of the track. The first guy attempts to turn on the first corner, only to crash into padding at the corner.

"Jackass! You went too fast! Next!" The next guy goes, moving a lot slower to avoid crashing. "Wrong! Drive like that damn slow and you'll get rear-ended! Next!" Aki moves up to her starting position.

"Good luck, Aki!" Rua shouts over to her. Aki sets off. Wait.

"H-Hey! You're not going to make that turn!" I lean as far as I can over the railings, in the hopes that she'll hear me. But no. She still crashes into the padding, and is sent flying onto the grass. I close my eyes and cringe, before opening them slowly. I see her getting up onto her knees. She's fine,  _for now_.

Aki goes to make another lap. I sure hope she doesn't over do herself.

"Aki sure is trying hard, huh?" Rua comments.

"Yeah." Yusei responds.

Aki's D-Wheel starts shaking again, only for her to go flying over the handlebars. I hop over the railings of the stand and run over to her.

"Aki, are you okay?" I shout at her before I reach her.

"Aki!" Yusei, Rua and Ruka call out one after the other.

Aki just stands up casually like nothing happened, and I sigh. "And I almost had it too!" She looks at me and gasps. "I got it! If I stick it out there a little longer and hit it in one shot, I might make the turn! Yeah, that's it. That's got to be it!"

"She's totally in la-la land…" Rua's words trail off.

"This is just how she gets." I add.

I don't run out the next time she crashes, or the time after that, or again actually. She gets up perfectly normal every time, so the need to run over isn't really there.

"You're falling too much!" I shout over to her as she drags her D-Wheel back to the start again.

"I am... aren't I?" She says, rubbing the back of her helmet. I notice scuffs in the paintwork and I sigh again.

"Turn with your body!" Yusei shouts at her the next time she crashes. I say shout, Yusei can't really shout, it's more a 'raising of the voice' kinda thing.

"Yeah, I know, but…" She avoids our eyes.

"You're trying too hard!" I lift one leg onto the railings as if that would her hear me better.

"I am trying too hard!" She grimaces as she gets back on her D-Wheel.

* * *

"Yuuka!" Aki takes her helmet and smiles. "I think I got the hang of it with that last one!"

"How about we make this the last run for today?" I say. "Don't want to overdo yourself." She nods, setting off. She miraculously makes the turn this time.

Eventually, she's able to handle the full course without crashing. They've made the course more difficult since I done it. I mean, the loop-de-loop section and the ramps were still there. There's just a lot  _more_  of them now.

"Woah, awesome, Aki!" Rua exclaims as Aki clears the final ramp.

"Alright, you pass!" The instructor shouts as Aki comes to a stop in front of us. The twins high-five each other and cheer. I give her a thumbs up as she smiles. "Time to announce the results of the test!" The instructor gathers everyone around the starting line. "The only one who passed this class was Izayoi!" The instructor brings out his kendo sword again, banging it on the ground. "Everyone else failed!" No surprise there. One of them made it passed the first corner in the end, only to struggle with the second.

"Dammit, beaten by that girl?" One of the guys who failed mutters. "Talk about lame." Another one. "Yeah." Disgusting. Girls can be D-Wheelers too, and we'll look good while kicking your ass. Yusei looks like he suddenly remembers something, and goes to get his D-Wheel. He's going to show Aki a trick, no doubt. He appears with his D-Wheel a few minutes later and parks it beside Aki's.

"All that's left is the graduation-certification duel. Give it your all out there." He says. Aki nods. "It's not a check item in your lessons, but, from my experience, there's this one thing I think you should commit to memory." Yusei starts driving and does a quick 180 turn, followed by another one, then starts driving backwards. "This." He says when he gets back to us.

"Turnback?" Aki asks. I remember spotting that in Kaoru's notes. I shake my head, he's such a meticulous notetaker.

"Yeah, if you master this, you can handle almost any situation." What Yusei says is true. If anything goes wrong on the track, it's definitely helpful.

"I'll give it a try." Aki nods, getting back on her D-Wheel. She shakes on the first turn.

"Watch out!" Ruka shouts, but it's too late. I close my eyes again. When I open my eyes again, her D-Wheel is lying on the grass while Aki is on her back on the tarmac. I sigh.

"This might be kind of tough…" I hear her say.

"We might want to try something safer." I turn to Yusei. I'm sick of seeing her crash and having my heart in my mouth.

"Didn't you bring Kaoru skating before he got his licence?"

"I had almost forgotten about that." I shrug my shoulders. I'm sure if Kaoru was listening to my thoughts right now, he'd be complaining. I can't hear a sudden change in the pace of his thoughts, so I assume not.

"Why don't you bring Aki skating?" Yusei asks as Aki walks up to us. She looks slightly nervous.

"Aren't you the one teaching her this?" I look at him.

"I've never skated before, and you know how the turnback works." I sigh again. "Besides, I've got a job tomorrow morning." That's right, tomorrow's Saturday so Aki's off school. I guess it'll be fun for me as well.

"You wanna go skating tomorrow?" I ask Aki. "I can teach the turnback without the fear of you crashing."

"Umm, yeah." Aki seems slightly hesitant, but I pay no mind to it.

* * *

To my surprise, although the twins come along, they don't join us in the rink, preferring to just watch. Then again, I don't think the twins are fully comfortable with me yet.

"Alright." I say, standing in the middle of the rink with Aki. "Umm, skating has a lot to do with using your body to move, and so do D-Wheels. Something like that anyway. I'm terrible at this kinda thing, sorry."

"It's okay." Aki still seems kinda nervous. "Thank you for coming anyway."

"No problem." I smile. "I'll just show you, that would work better." I start skating backwards, making somewhat of an oval shape around Aki. "This should be perfect for getting the feel of it." I stop a little bit in front of her. She skates forward, only to stumble. I manage to catch her so she falls into me. "You've never been skating before, haven't you?" That's why she was so nervous.

"I've never come here before, that's why." Blush dusts her cheeks. Then again, I suppose she's never had anyone to come skating with.

"It's okay. Here." I take her hands, and gently lead her forward. Her feet move on their own. "Like that." She smiles.

"Let me try on my own." I let go of her hands. I move slower beside her, ready to catch her if she falls.

"That's right, just like that." I smile.

"I just have to be careful about shifting my balance, right?" I nod.

I don't know how long we spend on that rink. It doesn't feel very long at all, but knowing how time works, I doubt it.

"You and Yusei seem very close lately." Aki randomly says out of the blue. "What's up with that?" She gives me this look as she skates backwards, past me.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" I don't let my composure crack.

"I don't know, you two seem a lot closer than you were before." She meets my eyes. She's knows what's up.

"There's nothing to tell. We've just been talking a lot lately." I'm not  _wrong_ , just leaving out some key points. Like that we've been secretly dating for a good while because I'm not ready to tell my brother, so naturally, no one else can know to. It's generally okay. Yusei's okay with it. But lately both of us have started to become restless around other people. I don't think our secret can last much longer. I just want to hold my boyfriend's hand and hug him in public, dammit.

* * *

Yusei adds the final touches to Aki's new D-Wheel. He lied when he said he had a job, he was really working on this. Managing this in two days is impressive. Then again, all of us chipped in. Aki walks in, confused by the fully polished new D-Wheel in the garage.

"Yo!" Crow calls out to her.

"Yes, we expect some thanks." Jack adds. I smack his arm and he glares at me.

"What is this?" There's a lingering hesitation in Aki's words.

"Crow, Jack and Yuuka helped out. It's your D-Wheel, Aki." Yusei smiles.

"For me?" She blinks slowly, not quite comprehending it.

"I worked on the brakes." Crow wipes his hands in a rag.

"I painted the exterior." Jack smirks.

"I picked the colours because I just learned the difference between a slot head and a Phillips head." That gets a laugh out of Aki. I was able to recognise the different types of screwdriver before, but have only just learnt their names.

"You guys…" Aki looks like she's about to cry.

"It's time, isn't it?" Yusei asks.

"I'll make sure to get my licence!" Aki wipes a tear away before it has the chance to fall.

"Do your best." Yusei smiles.

* * *

Everyone manages to show up for Aki's duel on Monday afternoon, surprisingly. Getting Jack to do anything is a struggle at the best of times. I go to sit beside Jack, hoping to have Yusei on the other side of me, but Crow beats him to the punch. We can't complain, because that would make them suspicious and I haven't mentally prepared telling them yet.

"Alright, there they go!" Crow says as we sit down. The first guy starts driving only to crash on their first turn.

"Nevermind." I say.

"Ended before it started, huh?" Jack sighs.

"Geez." The person that will be dueling Aki tuts, taking off his helmet. I recognise him as the officer from the Ghost incident, though his name avoids me now. "Don't think a licence qualification duel will be a piece of cake." He says to Aki beside him.

"It's Ushio!" Crow cries as everyone gasps. I just blink. That's his name.

"Well, aren't these a bunch of familiar faces?" He turns to us, then back to Aki. "Izayoi, luck sure wasn't on your side. More and more people have been trying to get their licence as soon as they announced the Grand Prix would be held, y'see. This test is to weed them out. You need to beat me to pass."

"Why, that-! After all we've done for him, too!" Crow clenches his fist. It's his job, he can't help it.

"Izayoi doesn't stand a chance, it seems." Jack shakes his head.

"You have so much faith in her, don't you?" I sigh.

"Watch out Izayoi." I hear the people who failed this first segment talking. "You won't finish the test." I exhale through my nose. When will they leave her alone?

"Izayoi, I'm not holding back." Ushio says, waiting to start.

"That's fine by me." Aki says, lowering the visor on her helmet.

"We will now begin the graduation-certification Riding Duel! Riding Duel…" The referee raises his arm, and quickly lowers it.

"Acceleration!" Ushio and Aki chant together, starting the duel.

"Field Magic, Speed World 2! Set!" Ushio activates Speed World. "Duel Mode, on." His D-Wheel chirps back at him. Oh yeah, there's no autopilot here. Despite this, Aki manages to make the first turn.

"Aki got the first move!" Ruka cheers.

"What's wrong? You've got the first move, right? It's your turn! C'mon, play!" Ushio knocks into the back of Aki. Even with her nerves clearly showing, he does this. "If this is enough to spook you, you can't handle a Riding Duel!"

"That Ushio is hazing her!" Crow tuts.

"That's not fair!" Ruka shouts.

"It happens often in Riding Duels." Jack answers her. Sad, but true.

"My turn." Aki hesitates for a split second. "I draw!"

"How much momentum can you create this turn?" Ushio says more to himself than Aki.

"I summon Revival Rose in defense position(DEF:1300). I activate the Speed Spell - Summon Speeder!" An error noise erupts from Aki's D-Wheel.

"What is Izayoi doing?" Crow facepalms.

"You need Speed Counters to use a Speed Spell." Jack tuts.

"She's very nervous." Yusei says.

"It's the first time she's had to take her hand off the handle." I add. "Admittedly, I did the same thing in my first duel."

"Stop stalling!" Ushio shouts at Aki.

"I end my turn!" I can hear the panic in Aki's voice.

"My turn!" Ushio says, as their Speed Counters increase for the first time. "Here I go. I summon Stygian Street Patrol(ATK:1600)! Battle! Stygian Street Patrol attacks Revival Rose! Stygian Street Patrol's effect. You take damage equal to the destroyed monster's Level multiplied by 100 points!" Aki's life points drop to 3600. "I set one card and end my turn! What's wrong? Bring it, Izayoi!" Ushio bangs into the back of Aki's D-Wheel again.

"My turn." Aki starts her turn. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight(ATK:1000)! When this monster is successfully summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4-or-below Plant-Type monster from my hand! I Special Summon Lord Poison(ATK:1500)!"

"Nice, Aki! She's getting the hang of it!" Rua cheers. Black Rose should be making an appearance then.

"Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight tunes Level 4 Lord Poison! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch dark flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!" Black Rose Dragon spreads its majestic wings and roars.

"Izayoi... You can't scare me by summoning Black Rose Dragon when you're flustered." Ushio smirks. Black Rose wasn't materialised, how could that scare you?

"Battle. Black Rose Dragon attacks Stygian Street Patrol. Burn him up! Black Rose Flare!" Ushio's life points drop to 3200.

"Not good enough, Izayoi. I activate the trap card, Final Penalty! When a monster is destroyed in battle, you take damage equal to half its attack points. Then, the attacking monster is destroyed!" Aki's visibly shaken as her life points drop again, this time to 2800.

"She lost her cool." Crow shakes his head, worried for her.

"Aki, stay alert! Strike back at him!" I lean over the railings to make sure Aki hears my shouts.

"When a monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon Revival Rose from my graveyard(DEF:1300). I set two cards and end my turn!" Aki's aura quivers.

"My turn!" Ushio starts his turn. Their Speed Counters now stand at 3. "By removing Stygian Street Patrol in my grave from play, I can Special Summon a Fiend-Type monster with 2000-or-fewer attack points from my hand! I Special Summon another Stygian Street Patrol(ATK:1600)! Next, I summon Stygian Security(ATK:100)! Level 1 Stygian Security tunes Level 4 Stygian Street Patrol. Synchro Summon! Come, Stygian Sergeants(ATK:2200)! Battle! Stygian Sergeants attacks Revival Rose! I'm not done. Stygian Sergeants are scary twin beast policemen. When Stygian Sergeants successfully destroys your monster in battle, it can attack again. And it gains 800 attack points this time(ATK:2200-3000)!"

"What?" Crow gasps, turning to me. "Aki has 2800 life points. If this attack succeeds, Aki will lose!" Geez, Crow seems  _awfully_  worried about Aki. Hmm, more blackmail material for me.

"I attack you directly!" Ushio laughs.

"I activate a trap!" Aki interrupts. "Offensive Guard! When I'm directly attacked, I can halve your monster's attack points until the End Phase(ATK:3000-1500). I also draw one card!" Instead of hitting 0, her life points drop to 1300 instead.

"What? You survived?" Ushio tuts. "But it's still my turn! I activate the Speed Spell - Speed Demon! When I have 3 Speed Counters, you take 1000 points of damage!" Aki's life points drop again, this time to 300.

"She survived, but she only has 300 life points left. This is bad." I notice Crow's fists clench.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Ushio ending his turn causes Stygian Sergeants' attack to return to the normal 2200.

"My turn. I draw!" Aki starts her turn again. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose(ATK:1700)! When I successfully summon this card, I draw one card from my deck. If that card isn't a monster, this card is destroyed. I draw! I drew Dark Verger!"

"I activate my trap!" Ushio interrupts her. "Climactic Barricade! I can activate it when you summon a monster. Level 4-or-below monsters can't attack this turn! Izayoi, I've sealed your Witch of the Black Rose! At the End Phase, Climactic Barricade deals 500 points of damage for every one of your Level 4-or-below monsters! If you don't defeat me this turn, you're finished!" This is not good. Aki needs to Synchro if she wants to win.

"I activate the Speed Spell - Summon Speeder from my hand! I Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my hand(ATK:0)." Dark Verger appears on the field. I sigh, she could be fine.

"Aki mastered Speed Spells." I turn to look at Yusei on the other side of Crow. She just activated a Spell with the right conditions. I squint at him, but he doesn't notice. Crow's too busy focusing on the duel too.

"Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose tunes Level 2 Dark Verger! Lone flower which blossoms in the forest of the sun, appear from the roots and show yourself now! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Splendid Rose(ATK:2200)!" Ooh, I haven't seen that monster of hers before. Then again, I think she only has one other Synchro Monster, not including Black Rose. "Splendid Rose's effect! By removing a Plant-Type monster in my graveyard from play, one monster's attack points are halved until the End Phase! Your Stygian Sergeants' attack points are halved(ATK:2200-1100)! Battle! Splendid Rose attacks Stygian Sergeants!" Ushio's life points drop to 2100.

"How dare you!" Ushio screams at her.

"I'm not done yet. I still have to pay you back!" I hear a sudden confidence in Aki's voice.

"What!?" Ushio exclaims, knowing that the end may be very near.

"I flip over my trap card! Blossom Bombardment! When a Plant-Type monster destroys your monster, you take damage equal to half its attack points!" Ushio's life points hit 1000. She's nearly there.

"Nicely done." Ushio can't help but compliment her.

"The instructor is losing!" The voices beside us say. "That girl... It's time to finish her!" My eyes widen. I manage to catch Jack's gaze, he nods. He heard it too. Sparks fly from a rack holding rods. The rack collapses, sending rods flying all over the track. Ushio accelerates to avoid them completely. Aki isn't so lucky.

"Aki!" I scream.

"Sucker!" My body tenses, hearing the losers beside us. My fists clench. Aki starts dodging the onslaught falling all around her.

"Is she in trouble? If she falls, the test is over!" I hear Ushio say. Aki starts doing some crazy, and turnback! She used the thing I taught her. I feel so proud.

"Incredible!" Rua shouts as Aki accelerates away from the falling objects.

"It came in use!" I sigh.

I turn to look at Jack, he nods. We both stand up and walk over to the losers who did this. The three guys seem shocked to see me walk over.

"And what would you like, miss?" The guy who seems to be in charge of this crew asks. I grit my teeth, crossing my arms. I hate it when I'm called  _miss_ , I feel like they're making fun of me.

"You tried to murder my best friend." I feel Jack's presence behind me. I imagine we must look quite intimidating.

"We didn't try to _murder_  her." I frown, he might have. "We just didn't want her to pass her test, that's all. Female Riding Duelists have no place in this world."

"Well, I just happen to be one." I see them gulp. "And you know what else I am?" I feel my aura flare. "Your worst nightmare." I grab the middle dude by the shirt. I land a solid punch in his face. He falls, hitting his head on the railings. They try to get away. I manage to roundhouse kick the furthest one. Jack gets the other one, making him fly into the previous row of seats.

"She did it!" Crow cheers as Aki wins the duel.

"Didn't know you were that strong." Jack says as he starts to walk away, I follow.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?"

"What?" I say as Yusei shakes his head at me as we walk onto the track to congratulate Aki.

"Nothing." He shakes his head, smiling. I laugh. He's probably impressed but won't admit it. Aki takes her helmet and fixes her hair. She looks at me and smiles.

"Aki, welcome to the world of Riding Duels!" I say, smiling. I stretch my arm out for a fist bump. She giggles, meeting me.


	51. Let Me Hear You Say

Yusei tosses and turns in the bed beside me. I haven't been able to sleep at all. The weather's starting to get warmer, so I'm blaming that. I'm starting to think he's having another bad dream. I sit up in an attempt to wake him up. At least I won't be sleepless alone, the very bad thought crosses my mind. Yusei shudders in his sleep before jumping up himself. He wipes his hair off his sweaty forehead, his eyes wide.

"Ghost again?" He shakes a little, not noticing me. I wonder how many times he's woken up alone after a bad dream before we started sharing the bed.

"No." He shakes his head. "Worse."

"Wanna talk about it?" I turn the lamp on and get Yusei to move his back against the wall, I follow. He nods, taking a deep breath. He takes his time in getting words out. He seems hesitant. "It's okay. Take your time." I whisper, grabbing his hands. I place a kiss on each of the knuckles I can reach. I see the corners of his mouth upturn slightly. That's the closest thing to a smile he can manage right now.

"My father was responsible for the Zero Reverse." He gets his words out quickly. He hunches slightly. He's terrified.

"I knew he was in charge of the project, but..." Yusei looks at me, eyes wide.

"But how?" His voice is barely above a whisper.

"Back when I was in the Old Momentum, I found a picture of someone you looked a lot like you with Rex Godwin in labcoats." My brow furrows at the memory. I filled me with such rage then. I've never brought it up with Yusei until now. I never had the guts too. "I looked it up after everything. Masahiro Fudo, your dad, was the one in charge of the project."

"Yeah." He mutters. He looks like he's on the point of tears. "I just-" His voice falters. "I just feel so  _guilty_  about it. You, Jack, Crow. My family is the reason why you all lost your families." I start rubbing his back.

"It's okay baby. None of us blame you or your family for what happened." I try to smile for him. "It's not your fault." He says nothing. Something in my memory stirs. A looming figure in my head that won't go away. "It wasn't his fault either."

"It was Rudger Godwin." I wipe one of Yusei's tear away for him. "Testing was going bad, my father stepped down, knowing what could potentially happen. But it wasn't enough, Rudger overloaded the system to become a Dark Signer." I stay silent as Yusei shakes. Strangled noises come from his mouth, but there are no tears. "I just can't help but think what if things played out differently. If my father had been able to stop the Zero Reverse from happening. The Zero Reverse ruined any chance of any of us having a normal, happy life."

"That's not true. As along as I have you by my side, I'll be happy." I gently take Yusei's face in my hands. "That's all I need. I'm sure the guys feel the same way. As long as we're together." I smile, despite feeling the need to cry. Yusei seems to calm down. "Never think that I love you any less." My voice starts to crack. I know what Yusei is feeling right now. "I love you, and I always will." Yusei's eyes are wide, glistening with tears threatening to fall. I smile at him, in hopes that he'll smile back. The corners of his lips upturn more than they did before.

"I love you too." He manages to croak out. I smooth my thumb over his face, gently brushing his marker with every half moon.

"Okay, would some cuddling make you feel better?" He nods slowly. I smile, turning off the lamp. I pat Yusei's hair as I pull him into my arms. It's many hours before we fall asleep, but it's just  _nice_.

* * *

"You're staring at my ass." I say, smoothing out my new Riding Duel suit. A nice black suit, which matches my soul according to Kaoru. I used blue lines to create a nice bodice shape, with some lines down the side for some contrast. I used dark grey pads, gloves and boots. Light blue adds a nice pop to my high neckline and boots. A job well done if I may say so myself.

"Am I not allowed?" I hear the smirk in Yusei's voice. I turn around to him with my eyebrows raised. "I am your boyfriend after all."

"I never said you  _weren't_. I just wanted you to know that I know you're staring. I mean, you can always stare cause I know for a fact that you love my ass."

"That's true." I shake my head, smiling. I fix my collar, as I added a standard collar as well as a high neckline. "I assume you're coming with us then?" Yusei asks, grabbing his helmet.

"Nah, Kaoru challenged me to a duel. Needs practice for the WRGP, he said. You have fun dueling Aki." I grab my own helmet, on my way to my D-Wheel. "I'll see you later honey." I pucker my lips in Yusei's direction as I sit down on my D-Wheel. He smiles, giving me a kiss. We drive out together, and actually for most of the way. I like going on drives together, it's cute. Almost like a date, I think. Then, I realise we've never been on a proper date, so yeah, I'll count this as a small date.

* * *

"The Fabled Unicore attacks you directly! Horn of Judgement!" Kaoru's life points hit 0. I slow to a stop beside him as mist pours out from his D-Wheel. "Got you there, didn't I?"

"You did." He sighs. "Got to admit that."

"Happens to everyone." I smack him on the back. "How are WRGP preparations going?" We start driving again, not anywhere in particular.

"Emiko and Anako have learned to be in the same room without trying to murder each other, so that's something. I wonder what happened." He shakes his head.

"If you find out, tell me." I'm really curious what happened, why would they stop fighting all of a sudden?

My body forces me to stop my D-Wheel all of a sudden. The throbbing in my chest echoes in my head. A familiar sick feeling claims my stomach again. A line of fire torches the sky. The lane below us shakes.

"Ghost." I say.

"What?" Kaoru takes off his helmet, having stopped as well. "They solved that problem, didn't they?"

"Apparently not." I rev up my D-Wheel, taking off for the new meteor crash site. Kaoru following behind. I doubt they let us get close, but I need to know for myself what that meteor was. Ghost showed up after the last meteor fell. I'm suspecting another Machine Emperor is about to rear its head.

"Yuuka!" Crow runs up to us at the site. I'm being forced to stand behind some tape as while Security cleans up what's left. "Can it be?"

"It's  _that_  again, alright. Any further is off-limits apparently."

"What about the meteor?" Crow asks, seeing if he can get any further, but an officer blocks him.

"Security already took care of it."

"Oh no!" Crow slaps his hand on his forehead.

"We're too late." I hear Rua cry behind me.

"Yusei." I turn around, hearing the worry in Aki's voice.

"Yeah, I feel uneasy. I have a bad feeling about this." Yusei meets my eye. The feeling's mutual.

* * *

The air in Poppo Time is uneasy for the next day. We're all waiting for another Ghost. Though, the twins coming in after school proves a nice distraction since Ruka is in a really good mood. Rua, however, has taken to lying on the ramp.

"He had perfect combos!" Ruka's blabbering on about a new exchange student in her class. It's cute. I remember being her age with my first crush. I'm currently dating said crush, but that's another story. "And Luciano always used his cards at the right time! He anticipates his opponent's moves! He's so cool!"

"It's rare that you praise someone so highly, Ruka." Yusei smiles. I think he's caught onto it too. He gives me this soft look, I think he's thinking the same thing. I wonder when Yusei figured out that he liked me. It's never actually come up. I must ask him some day.

"Because he's really incredible! Right, Rua?" Bless her, she's so cute.

"Really? I thought he was so-so." Rua couldn't sound  _more_  disinterested. He stands up, grabbing his backpack. "I'm going home. See ya." He leaves pretty quickly. I turn to Ruka, expecting some sort of explanation.

"What's wrong?" Yusei asks before I even open my mouth.

"I think he's upset because he lost his duel against Luciano." Ruka pouts slightly.

"I don't know." I shrug my shoulders. "Brothers are very protective when their sisters start talking to guys. I would know." I sigh. I see Yusei trying to hide a laugh. Ruka looks at me, confused.

* * *

Rua bursts into the garage the next day after school, calling for Yusei. He starts talking so fast that we can't understand him. Something about that Luciano kid, and having Ruka at his house. Then, he starts talking about a new Duel Disk, no, a Duel Board. Yusei lets him use the whiteboard to draw it out.

"A Duel Board?" Jack echoes.

Rua gestures to the whiteboard. "It looked like this, and it connects to a Duel Disk here." It looks like a skateboard with footholds with a Duel Disk attached at the end.

"I see. He can easily have Riding Duels. What a clever concept." Jack moves his hand to his mouth.

"Yusei, what do you think?" Rua turns to Yusei, here we go.

"Since it's a simple idea, I can build it with leftover parts, but…" But I'm too focused on building a new D-Wheel engine for the WRGP.

"I really want to defeat Luciano! I want to beat and outsmart him!" Rua looks so determined, bless him. I see Yusei's composure starting to crack. "Yusei, will you do it? Will you?"

"I guess so." He sighs, giving in.

Rua seems so happy. He doesn't leave Yusei's side the entire night. Actually building it is the easy part, Yusei says.

"I don't get what's so great about this Luciano guy anyway?" He pouts.

"Right." I realise that I'm going to have to be the one to give this talk, given the constant absence of their parents. "When girls get to your age, everything starts changing." Yusei gives me a strange look, as if surprised that I'm the one talking about this. "Honestly, you're just going to have to accept the fact that she might like boys, or girls maybe, who knows? I mean if that person is a murderous psychopath, then yes, being protective is acceptable. If they're harmless, let your sister be happy. You don't want to end up like my brother, Kaoru, do you?" Rua goes to answer but I stop him, knowing he looks up to him in some regard. "No. You don't." Rua's more confused than anything by what I say. He falls asleep at around eleven on the desk beside him. I chuckle.

"Will I put him in your room? Can't let the kid sleep like that, he'll end up with back problems like someone else we know." I get Yusei a pointed look.

"I guess." Yusei stretches his back, I hear it crack and I cringe. "You can crash on the couch, I'll probably be up all night."

"When you go asleep, I'll go to my actual house and sleep. You're not pulling another all nighter, you hear me?" He nods, whether he wanted to or not is another story. Despite what I say, we end up sleeping on the couch together.

* * *

Rua goes out practicing on his new Duel Board, since it  _is_  the weekend and all. We have another chill day in the garage. Yusei works on his own D-Wheel for once. I suddenly feel sick. I jump up, holding my head forward. Yusei's Signer mark starts glowing.

"The mark…" He says. Jack comes into the garage, his mark is glowing too. "Ruka…"

I don't bother putting on my Riding suit, going straight for my pads. Nobody says anything as we drive out immediately, looking for Ruka. The Machine Emperors. They're striking again. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.

"Yusei! Jack! Yuuka!" Crow calls out from behind on the highway.

"You came!" I look back and see Aki alongside Crow in her Riding Suit. If I wasn't focused on driving and not puking at the same time, I might have made a funny joke. We drive through one of the few tunnels. When we emerge, I spot a giant robot flying above the lane beside us, no, a Machine Emperor. It feels like a blow to the stomach. Ruka. I feel her aura. Rua's too.

"A giant robot?" Crow asks. No, worse.

"The same one Ghost used?" Aki pipes up. Yusei accelerates to get a better look.

"No, it's not the same. But the mark on its chest means it's part of the same group." The strange infinity symbol on its chest, that's what he's referring to.

"So there are multiple versions?" The panic is clear in Crow's voice. It's just as I expected. Yusei does a double take in looking at the lane.

"Ruka! Rua!" He screams over without a second thought. I pull up the duel on my monitor. Oh no. Ruka's already Synchro Summoned.

"This is bad!" Even Jack sounds shaken. "She already summoned Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

"My turn!" Their enemy starts their turn. All of their Speed Counters already at 5. "I activate Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect! Once per turn, Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity absorbs a Synchro Monster on your field!"

"Absorb a Synchro Monster? This is what Yusei was talking about!" I hear Rua panicking over the speaker.

"Sealing Synchros away!" I feel my stomach drop again.

"He does it too." Green tendrils come out from Skiel. They start wrapping around Ancient Fairy Dragon, completely constricting it.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The dragon starts glowing and is dragged towards Skiel. "Ancient Fairy Dragon…" Ruka murmurs.

"Stop it! Release Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Rua cries out as the dragon disappears into Skiel's chest cavity. A small gasp escapes from my mouth.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon was absorbed." Ruka cries.

"Oh no! We were too late!"

"I took Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Their opponent cackles. Their aura. It's just like Ghost's. That can't make sense. Ghost was a robot.

"If only I remembered earlier…" I hear Rua muttering over the speaker. Their enemy does a flip using the side of the lane. "Luciano... Ruka, that's Luciano!" What?

"What? Luciano?" The new exchange student is connected to Ghost? What in the world is going on?

"You've found out too late! My monster's effect activates! Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity gains the attack points of the Synchro Monster that it absorbed(ATK:2200-4300)!" I grit my teeth at this kid's high pitched voice.

"4300 attack points!?" Rua starts panicking.

"I activate Speed Spell - Summon Close from my hand!" Luciano continues. "When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, you can't Special Summon this turn!"

"Again?" Rua cries.

"I see through your strategies! Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity attacks Rua directly!" A green beam of light starts flying towards Rua. I go to shout over to him, but Ruka moves between her brother and the blast.

"I activate my trap, Twinkle Wall! By taking damage equal to half your monster's attack points, I can negate that attack!" Ruka takes the damage, screaming. Her life points now stand at 350.

"Ruka!" Rua screams.

"I set one card and end my turn." The throbbing in my head settles a tiny bit as Luciano ends his turn.

"My turn!" Rua starts his turn, now their Speed Counters stand at 6. "I summon Morphtronic Scopen(ATK:800)! When Scopen is in attack position, I can Special Summon a Level 4 Morphtronic monster from my hand once per turn! I Special Summon Level 4 Morphtronic Boomboxen(ATK:1200)!" No, he couldn't be. "Level 3 Scopen tunes Level 4 Boomboxen! In order to protect world peace, courage and power, dock together! Synchro Summon! The emissary of love and justice! Power Tool Dragon(ATK:2300)!"

"A Synchro Monster? That's why you're not good." Luciano says, taunting Rua.

"What's he thinking? Synchro Monsters don't work against him!" Jack shouts.

"No. Power Tool Dragon deals with Equip Cards. Rua has must have a trick up his sleeve." I turn back to Jack, who merely nods at me.

"Rua!" Ruka screams.

"Then, I activate Speed Spell - Summon Speeder from my hand! When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my hand. I Special Summon Level 1 Morphtronic Vacuumen in defense position(DEF:0)! When Vacuumen is in defense position, it can equip a monster on your field once per turn!" There it is. I knew Rua had a strategy.

"He's going to remove Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity from the field so that he can battle with Power Tool Dragon!" Crow cheers. No, it's not going to work. I realise suddenly.

"Vacuumen equips Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity!" Rua declares.

"I activate the trap, Convert Ghost!" Luciano interrupts. "When an effect targets a monster on my field, I can switch the target to a monster in the graveyard!"

"He dodged it!"

"Your strategies are weak. They don't work against me." Despite Luciano's words, Rua's aura doesn't quiver. He has a back-up plan. That's why he has Power Tool Dragon.

"I set one card and end my turn." And that facedown card is it.

"My turn!" Luciano declares, but Rua interrupts him.

"I activate the trap, Power Break!" Here we go. "When Power Tool Dragon is on my field, all equipped and absorbed cards on the field return to our decks!"

"What?" Luciano exclaims.

"For every returned card, the opponent takes 500 points of damage!" A smile breaks out on Rua's face. Skiel's attack returns to its normal 2200, and Luciano's life points drop to the same amount.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka smiles too as the faded image of the dragon flies overhead, before returning to her duel disk.

"I won't let you have Ancient Fairy Dragon! I'm not a Signer, but I'm proud that Ruka has the mark of a Signer! Ancient Fairy Dragon is proof that she's a Signer, so I'm going to protect it!"

"Rua…" These kids are so cute, I'm really warming up to them y'know.

"He took back Ancient Fairy Dragon." I hear a sigh of relief from Jack.

"Rua was planning to take Ancient Fairy Dragon back from the start!" The grin is clear in Crow's voice.

"He did it." Aki smiles.

"Yeah." I see the relief in Yusei's face when he turns to look at me. I smile back.

"How dare you! I'll make you regret angering me until I crush you!" Luciano clenches his fist. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 7 Speed Counters, I draw one card from my deck!" His Speed Counters drop all the way back to 0. "I activate the trap, Sky A3! I send Skiel Attack on my field to the graveyard! That lets me Special Summon Skiel Attack 3 from my hand(ATK:2200-2400)!"

"It powered up!" Rua cries.

"Then, I release Skiel Attack 3 to Special Summon Skiel Attack 5(ATK:2400-2600)!" Again? This kid can't be serious.

"How many times will he power up?"

"I activate Skiel Attack 5's effect! Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity attacks Rua directly! Die!" My heartbeat rings in my ears. Everything starts slowing down. A red beam of light hits Rua, causing a plume of smoke as his life points hit 0.

"Rua!" Ruka stops moving completely. I hear the pure  _pain_  in her voice. The impact is enough for Rua to fly off the lane. My D-Wheel stops by itself. My hands don't move fast enough to summon a monster to catch him. My head starts throbbing. I can everyone's auras throb too. There's a burst of red light and a roar. The Crimson Dragon appears and stretches out its wings.

"The Crimson Dragon!" Ruka cries out as the dragon summons a ball of light that catches Rua midair. I run the edge of the lane.

"Rua!" My voice is strangled. I see Rua gently lowered to the ground, the faint red light around disappearing.

"He's safe!" Aki shouts beside me.

"The Crimson Dragon saved him!" Crow cheers.

"Ruka!" Yusei shouts over to the next lane. "Rua is safe!"

"Everyone!" I hear Ruka's voice faintly.

"I'm going down to him to make sure he's alright." I say, moving back to my D-Wheel. I exit the duel on my monitor, summoning two monsters to get myself and my D-Wheel down there. Rua's out like a light. I lift his head into my lap. A bit scuffed up from the duel, but it doesn't seem like anything too serious. My head starts throbbing again when I notice a faint light on Rua's right arm. I look at it. The shape of a heart. It looks like… No, that can't be. Rua isn't a Signer, that's not possible. As quickly as it comes, it disappears.

"Ruka!" Rua jumps up. He scrambles, looking around. I keep him from standing up. "Uh, Yuuka!" He seems shocked to see me. "Where's Ruka!?"

"She's fine." I look up at the lane above us, searching for her aura. The duel is over, I think. "It's you we should be worried, you had us all worried back there."

"Sorry about that." He scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. "I think I'm good to stand up now." I give him a hand in standing up. He was right.

"Come on. Let's get back to everyone else." I take Rua's Duel Board and try to put it in what little storage space I have in my D-Wheel. Rua decides to just hold it. It ends in the space between us as Rua rides with me. Rua holds onto my waist tightly, which makes me realise that I might be driving a little too fast for him.

* * *

We stop in front of where Luciano's mansion used to be, only to find a large grassy field. The skyscrapers of the inner city are just a little bit behind us. This makes no sense.

"There's nothing here." Crow says, stating the obvious.

"That's strange. It was here. There was a huge mansion! Right, Ruka?" Rua scratches his head in confusion.

"Huh? Yeah." Ruka nods.

"Are you sure?" Jack asks.

"Neither of them are lying, I can tell from their auras." I answer.

"I know!" Rua's eyes light up like he has an idea. "Let's talk to Bob!"

The Bob he has referring to is a boy I recognise from his class. "Luciano? Who's that?" That's his answer to all of this.

"Who?" The confusion is apparent in Rua's voice. "The transfer student from Duel Academy East School!"

"Duel Academy East School? What are you talking about? See you." Bob walks off, shrugging his shoulders.

"What's going on?" Rua turns to us.

"I don't know." I answer.

"We're facing powerful enemies." Crow closes his eyes in thought.

"They're changing history as we know it." Aki says.

"It doesn't matter who we're facing! Jack Atlas will defeat them!" I sigh at Jack's usual antics.

Yusei meets my eyes. I see the panic lying just behind them. Accel Synchro. That's what's on his mind. We need to master it, and soon, if we stand any chance at facing the storm that's coming for us.


	52. Scraps

"So, what you're telling is that Mikage and Ushio asked you to take care of some amnesiac stray. And you had to because Crow ate some fancy steak. Also, kinda, because Jack punched him a bunch. But turns out that he's a master mechanic. So, Yusei basically adopted him and now he's helping him build the engine, and Yusei has been ignoring you ever since."

"Basically." Crow sighs. So that's why he hasn't answered my texts since last night.

"You're a bunch of idiots."

"What do you mean by that?" Jack glares at me.

"Yusei's glad that he has someone to talk about D-Wheel stuff with. I mean, sure Crow built his own D-Wheel, but he's not exactly the most interested in this stuff. He talks to me sometimes about it, only to realise that I got distracted like five minutes ago." I normally just stare at his cute face. Once I actually started crying, he thought something was wrong, but no, he's just too beautiful for this world.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Crow sighs, resting his head on the back of his hands. Jack stays silent, as usual.

"Yusei, let's duel!" Rua bursts into the kitchen.

"Rua discovered a new combo!" Ruka appears just after.

"Yusei, can you help me with this Physics problem?" Aki walks in right after. Crow shushes them, looking in the general direction of Yusei and Bruno, the amnesiac, sitting at the deck in the kitchen.

"Who is he?" Rua asks.

"He's a vagabond forced upon us by the Public Maintenance Department." Jack scoffs.

"Yusei hired and promoted him to super mechanic." Crow rolls his eyes. Both of them are being  _very_  salty about this.

"Super mechanic? Can he improve my Duel Board?" Rua's eyes and mouth are wide.

"Maybe." Crow's tone is giving a definite  _no_  answer.

"They're not bored. Are there that many topics to discuss?" Ruka pouts.

"I don't know." I shrug my shoulders, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Crow. "Have you seen Yusei talk about D-Wheels? He could go for  _hours_."

"They've easily surpassed the number of conversations I've ever had with Yusei." Crow sighs again.

"Crow, that's a lie and you know it. You've known him longer than I have." I raise my eyebrows at him, he looks away.

"They're like a pair of lovebirds." I must admit, Rua's comment makes me chuckle.

"Rua, they met yesterday. You can't call them that." Ruka chides him.

"Oh yeah." Rua scratches the back of his head. Aki sighs. "What's wrong Aki?"

"I'm going home." She shakes her head. "I have so much homework to do."

"I didn't take Physics, but I'd say ask Kaoru, he's good at that kinda stuff." I lean back to look at her.

"Oh thank you." She waves. "Goodbye everyone." She says before going back down the stairs.

"Bye!" Everyone chirps out in some fashion.

"Well, if this gets us one step closer to creating a new engine, it's a godsend." Crow crosses his arms.

"True that." I answer.

"You have to give up your couch though." I can hear the smirk in Crow's voice. "You can't just stay over here whenever you want, unless you wanna sleep on this couch."

"Shit." I murmur under my breath.

* * *

Yusei hasn't slept in days. I know that for a fact, even though, I haven't been staying here. Yusei tells me that he's close to finishing to the programme, so I stay that night. Only heading up once Crow and Jack have gone asleep. I'll wake early in the morning and pretend I slept on the couch in the kitchen. My general plan. I'm used to it at this point. Good thing both Yusei and I are early risers. I can't sleep, knowing the possibility that Yusei could walk through that door any moment. I practically jump up once he does. I make grabbing motions in his direction. I hear him chuckle, taking off his jacket.

"We finished the programme." He says once he gets in the bed.

"Congrats honey, you did such a good job." I pull him tighter. "So, y'know with Bruno, do I get you on the weekends or is it more of an openly sharing thing?"

"Goodnight Yuuka." I feel him shaking his head, but I know he's smiling. I roll my eyes.

"Night honey." I let him, cause I know he hasn't in days. He'll work himself to death one of these days.

* * *

I'm making coffee the next morning for us when I feel Yusei's aura suddenly darkens. Following by panicked talking. Then, Jack starts shouting.

"Are you sure?" I hear from up here. I already have a headache. I take the coffee cups into the basement. "What? Someone stole the data?" I nearly drop the cups.

"What?" I ask.

"We were careless. We should've made a backup." Yusei shifts in his spot, uncomfortable from all the shouting Jack's doing. He takes the coffee cup off me.

"Yusei and I were both exhausted. It couldn't be helped." Bruno steps up to Jack. Bad idea on his part, but okay. Jack then proceeds to grab Bruno by the front of his shirt.

"You're the thief! I was suspicious of you from the start!" Jack keeps shouting. Can we put a muffle or something on him please before I get a headache?

"You're wrong! It wasn't me!" Bruno's not lying. What little aura he has is telling me that. Another metallic aura, seriously what's with that lately?

"Wait, Jack!" Yusei goes to stand between them.

"Don't stop me, Yusei! I'll uncover his identity!" I sigh.

"Stop it!" Crow walks up to Jack too,, stepping in before I can.

"You're also taking his side?" Jack is taking everything as personal attack again today, isn't he?

"It's not about that. If he was the thief, he would've already left after stealing the data. A criminal doesn't remain at the scene of the crime." Crow moves his head to his mouth.

"Crow would know about that." I try to make a joke out of it, but no one is taking any of my shit today.

"That's true, but…" Jack's eyes flick back and forth, pushing Bruno away. "Can't you rebuild the programme again?"

"It's not that simple. Building a programme is like a live concert. There's lots of ad-libbing, so it's impossible to recreate it." I sigh at Bruno's answer.

"So our only option is to find the thief?" Jack pouts.

"Yep." I groan. Crow walks over to the deck.

"But the thief didn't leave any evidence behind. Even the fingerprints have been wiped clean." Crow blows on the desk, looking for fingerprints.

"Maybe he wore gloves and didn't leave any in the first place."

"If there are no leads, how can we find the criminal?" I shrug my shoulders at Jack's question. Bruno suddenly gasps.

"What is it, Bruno?" Yusei asks.

"One of the cup ramens is missing." Oh here we go, Jack's gonna flip now.

"What? My cup ramen!?" He cries, as expected. Bruno stares at the bin before going to take a pair of tweezers out of the drawer. He takes a clear wrapper out of the bin, holding it up.

"I found the thief's fingerprint! While stealing the data, the thief was also eating the cup ramen." A smile cracks on Bruno's face.

"What?" Jack's eyes widen.

"Are you serious?" Crow just looks like he's trying not to get his hopes up.

"The criminal couldn't tear the cellophane, so he took off his gloves."

"Oh yeah, I hate that layer of plastic." I shake my head.

So now that we have the thief's fingerprints, our natural reaction is to _hack Security._  Only these people, I swear.

"Are you really going to do this, Yusei?" Jack asks, clearly worried about his personal safety, and y'know,  _not being arrested_.

"Yeah. We can identify the thief by searching for this fingerprint in Security's database." Yusei seems awfully calm about all of this.

"But Security's database is protected by a powerful firewall. If they trace our hack, we'll be arrested." Jack taps his fingers on his arms.

"Couldn't we just call in a favour to our old pal Ushio? Imagine that he owes us one because we took in a stray amnesiac for them,  _oh wait_." I shake my head, sighing.

"It will be quicker this way. If we relay our hacking connection through servers around the world, we have five minutes." Yusei answers me without looking at me before turning to Bruno. "Bruno, can you break in within five minutes?"

"Hopefully." He answers.

"Do you want us to stop, Jack?" Yusei turns slightly but doesn't look away from the screen, knowing that Jack won't say yes.

"I'll leave Jack Atlas's fate to you!" He grits his teeth.

"Don't hit me if I fail." Bruno jokes.

"No guarantees there pal." I joke back.

"Of course I'll hit you!" Jack glares down at him.

"Here we go! Begin access!" Bruno acts like Jack didn't just threaten physical violence. There's a lot of typing going on, and I don't understand most of it.

"The trace has started. Can you do it?" Yusei asks Bruno again.

"I think so. It's a simple system." Bruno says, nodding.

"I don't fully understand, but…" Jack's words trail off.

"This guy is incredible." Crow chips in, finishing his sentence.

"Told you guys." I say, crossing my arms. Yusei needs a friend on his level. To be honest, the three of us are pretty stupid.

"Alright! If I pass the next one, we're in the database!" Bruno says as a duel puzzle shows up on the screen.

"What's this? It's suddenly a duel screen." Crow moves closer to look at the screen.

"This is the endgame of a duel!" Yusei's eyes widen.

"I see." Bruno nods. "The Public Maintenance Department uses the endgame of a duel as a password."

"We had these puzzles back in Duel Academy. They're quite tricky." I cringe at the memory of them. I tend to do better in them than most, but  _still_.

"If we don't solve this, we can't move forward?" Crow asks.

"That's right. Four minutes left." Yusei grits his teeth.

"We have to solve it within the time limit." Crow says, stating the obvious.

"The status is... The opponent has 2300 life points. We have 1000. The opponent has five monsters on its field. In its Spell and Trap Card Zone, it has one set card and the activated Continuous Spell, The Dark Door. Tragoedia is on our field. It gains 600 attack points for every card in our hand. We have six cards in our hand." Bruno explains the setup. I look closer to get a good look at the hand. Normally, these puzzles have you use every card in your given hand. I just need to know what that set card is.

"It says, ' _You must win during this turn_ '." Crow reads the bar at the bottom of the screen. Standard goal for one of these puzzles. Normally they make it so the correct answer leaves the opponent's life points at exactly 0.

"Our main worry is the set card on its field." I nod.

"We have to reduce the opponent's life points to 0 this turn. Alright, I got it!" Bruno stands up so Crow can give it a shot. "Leave it to me! Since I have a monster with 3600 attack points and Shooting Star Bow - Ceal, the answer is simple! I equip the Equip Spell, Shooting Star Bow - Ceal on Green Gadget!" Since he played a card, Tragoedia's attack lowers by 600. "It loses 1000 attack points(ATK:1400-400)! Go, Tragoedia! Attack Green Gadget!"

"I activate the trap, Mirror Force." The duel bot's automated voice rings out.

"What?" I sigh, should have expected that one.

"Due to The Dark Door's effect, both players can only attack once. We can't win this turn." Yusei sighs too.

"Crow, how dare you waste precious time!" Jack grabs Crow out of the chair by his shirt.

"What?" Crow shouts back at him.

"But we learned something. We know that the set card is Mirror Force." Yusei tries to calm them down. The first attempt is very rarely successful.

"Mirror Force will completely destroy us if we attack. That's trouble!" Crow moves his arms dramatically to get the point across.

"We work our way around it." I answer.

"I can't watch your pathetic dueling!" Jack takes the now empty seat. "That's what you get for being sneaky and equipping an Equip Spell on the enemy to lower its attack points! A duel is about pushing through with your own power! I equip the Equip Spell, Axe of Despair(ATK:3600-3000)! Tragoedia has 4000 attack points(ATK:3000-4000)! Go, Tragoedia! Attack Green Gadget!" Jack gasps, realising his mistake.

"I activate the trap, Mirror Force." The duel bot's automated voice rings out  _again_.

"Did you forget that the card was Mirror Force?" This time, Crow grabs Jack by the arm.

"I was testing to see if they changed the set card!" Jack's lying.

" _Sure._ " I say sarcastically. I move closer to the screen again. Okay, the only thing that can stop Mirror Force is Antique Gear Soldier. Activating Cost Down, then Tragoedia's effect...

"We can't waste time!" Crow shouts at Jack. But even with both Equip Spells, we won't deal enough damage. But Stronghold, if I use his effect to my advantage...

"We have less than two minutes. Our next attempt will be our final chance." Yusei turns to me. "Yuuka, you said you have experience with these?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure it will work…"

"Will you let me try?" Bruno volunteers himself, I sigh in relief. I never do well under pressure, that's why my exam grades were so bad even in my dueling classes.

"Can you do it?" Yusei asks.

"Yeah." Bruno nods. "The only memories I have left are about D-Wheels and dueling. Besides, this might trigger my memories."

"Okay." Yusei smiles. "Do it, Bruno." Bruno takes his seat back.

"Yusei, you can't count on him!" Jack starts shouting again. I'm really considering the muzzle at this point.

"Yusei trusts him and so should we." I scoff.

"Stop complaining! There's no time!" Crow turns to Bruno. "Can you solve this difficult problem in only two minutes?"

"Here I go. The first problem is Mirror Force. I can't let that card activate. The only one that can stop Mirror Force is... Only Antique Gear Soldier can stop traps activating during battle." Bruno is thinking the same thing I was.

"But, Antique Gear Soldier is on the opponent's field." Jack mutters.

"I'll use its effect. Due to Tragoedia's effect, I send a card in my hand to the grave once per turn. I gain control of my opponent's monster whose Level is the same as the monster I discarded." Bruno is on the exact same thought trail I was on. I swear if I was right all along. "But Antique Gear Soldier's Level is 4. I only have Level 6 Alector, Sovereign of Birds in my hand. But I have a card named Cost Down. By discarding a card from my hand, Cost Down reduces the Level of all monsters in my hand by 2."

"That will make Alector's Level equal 4!" Crow's eyes widen.

"Exactly! I activate Cost Down from my hand! I send Remove Trap to my grave to decrease Alector's Level from 6 to 4. Next, due to Tragoedia's effect, I send Alector to the grave to gain control of Antique Gear Soldier!" Bruno declares.

"I see. Now, equip Axe of Despair and attack Green Gadget!" Jack exclaims.

"No, not yet." I nod at Yusei.

"Yusei's right." Bruno says.

"The max damage using both Equip Spells is 1900, we need 2300." I explain.

"Then what should we do?" Jack asks, getting awfully invested.

"Check the screen again. There's one thing we're forgetting. It's this effect!" Bruno points to Stronghold.

"I see." Jack murmurs.

"But Stronghold has 3000 attack points." Crow raises an eyebrow.

"It only has 3000 attack points when Green Gadget, Yellow Gadget and Red Gadget are on the field. Without all three, it has 0 attack points." Yep, I was entirely right.

"I see victory!" Yusei says as him and Bruno nod at each other.

"I discard Shooting Star Bow - Ceal from my hand to activate the Spell Card, Tribute to the Doomed! I destroy Green Gadget! Stronghold's attack points become 0! Then I equip Axe of Despair! Antique Gear Soldier's attack points become 2300(ATK:1300-2300)! Go, Antique Gear Soldier! Attack Stronghold!" Bruno declares, ending the duel. The word  _clear_ appears on the screen. I was right in my strategy, should have gone for it. Ah well.

"We did it!" Jack and Crow cheer.

"Well done, Bruno!" Yusei smiles.

"Good job buddy." I pat Bruno on the back but it ends up being harder than I intended.

"We have to check the fingerprint quickly!" Bruno starts typing quickly. The picture of the thief appears on the screen, getting gasps from everyone.

"That's…" Jack trails off.

"Do you know him?" Bruno looks at us, confused.

"Public Maintenance Department's Vice Director, Jaeger." Yusei's brow furrows. "He's the one who stole our programme?"

"He's never come here before. But since his fingerprint is here, there's no doubt." Jack scoffs.

"Why would a high-ranked official steal? Is he planning to sell it and make money?" Crow asks.

"Public Maintenance Department, I wouldn't expect anything different." I say, crossing my arms.

"I don't know, so we have to ask him directly." Jack answers Crow's question.

"That programme is worth a lot to the robber. If he's going to give it to someone, he won't transmit the data. He'll hand it over in person." Pretty sound logic.

"You're right." Yusei nods at Bruno.

"That means he'll be acting solo." Jack adds.

"That's when we'll catch him!" Crow grins.

"It's decided." Yusei puts his hands on Bruno's shoulder. "That program is our bond to make our dreams come true."

"Yusei…" Bruno mutters.

"We must retrieve our bond!"

* * *

We camp across the road from Security HQ, waiting for Jaeger to appear. We've hidden ourselves behind a corner because he'll run if we're spotted.

"He's here." Yusei whispers.

"Yes!" Crow tries to keep his cheers to a whisper, doesn't really work. Once Jaeger drives off in his fancy limo, we follow on our D-Wheels. He leads us to the shopping mall. He's trying to shake us off his tail, I say. We followed the car a little  _too_  closely.

"So?" Jack asks as we hide behind yet another corner. I spot Jaeger moving over to a ramen stand, must be his weakness I think.

"Alright. He's all alone right now." Yusei whispers.

"This is our chance!" Crow kind of whispers as he moves forward. He sneaks to the other side of Jaeger while Jack goes the side nearest to us.

"Oh my! The new Japanese sauce noodles have been released!" I hear Jaeger fawning over the cup ramen. "And that's the re-release of the rare Yellow Weasel!" Jack and Crow jump on him. Jack manages to grab his arms while Crow takes the legs. Crow has to squat, but they manage to keep him upright. "What are you doing? What do you want with me?" Jaeger struggles like he's innocent.

"You stole our programme!" Yusei, Bruno and I move closer to him.

"Give it back!" Bruno says, kneeling in front of him.

"What are you talking about?" Jaeger's eyes flick back and forth, clearly lying.

"Don't act dumb! We found your fingerprint in our garage!" Crow shouts.

"Fingerprint?"

"That's right!" Jack rubs his forearms together, squishing Jaeger's face. "I'm going to get revenge for my cup ramen!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Jaeger moves so suddenly that he's almost a blur. Then, he's at the end of the hallway. "Until next time!"

"You!" Crow shouts after him. Jaeger, using some metal, manages to heave himself up onto the next floor. "He always escapes so quickly!"

"After him!" Yusei says. We start running up the nearest escalator.

"Where did he go?" We scramble, looking around when we get to the next floor.

"What?" Yusei directs our attention to two Jaeger walking strangely.

"There are two of him?" Bruno mumbles. It's a trap, my gut instinct says.

"What's going on?" Both Jaegers run off in one direction.

"After them!" Jack cries. They start running.

"I'll look somewhere else in case he's tricking us." I say before running down the escalator. There can't be two Jaegers, so one's a fake. That's what he would  _want_  us to think, so we go on a wild goosechase. He's actually going to leave the building now. I spot Jaeger on the floor below me as I run down another escalator. I manage to fumble my phone out of my pocket and call Yusei. "Jaeger's leaving the building. Meet me at the entrance we came in." I trip at the bottom of the escalator. "Shit!" My kneepads save me from wrecking my knee. "I'm okay." I feel the need to add that for Yusei's sake.

* * *

We spot Jaeger hailing a taxi in the car park, as soon as it takes off, we follow on our D-Wheels.

We hide behind what I'm hoping is the last corner of the day. We're outside a factory that looks abandoned with danger signs in front, so a cool place really. Perfect fit for a duel gang. Yusei peers around the corner and nods.

"The exchange will happen here." Yusei whispers.

"What should we do? Should we wait for everyone else?" I shake my head at Bruno's question.

"No, I already transmitted our location to Jack and Crow. Unless we catch him in the act, he won't confess. Let's follow him." Yusei answers.

We enter the factory and it's dark, very dark. I feel like I'm in a horror movie kinda dark.

"What are they building in this factory?" Bruno asks.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I reply. This place gives me the creeps. Not just because it's eerily dark. No, there's something in here causing this reaction.

"It's like the inside of a spaceship." Bruno mumbles.

"Yeah, I've never seen such a technologically advanced factory." Yusei nods. Suddenly, alarms start sounding. We turn around, looking for some clue as to what's going on. "A security camera!" He exclaims. "Let's go!" We start running again, down the corridor.

"Okay!" Bruno shouts back. A door in front of us starts lowering. Yusei quickly rolls underneath to the other side. Since he had a head start, Bruno tries to go through, only to barely miss the opening. The door closes and the alarms seems louder.

"Yuuka! Bruno!" Yusei shouts through the door. "Are you okay, Yuuka!?"

"I'm sorry, Yusei. We're fine!" Bruno shouts back.

"I see. I'm going to keep going." Yusei says.

"Okay. I'll call Jack and Crow!" Bruno looks behind us.

"Thanks!" Yusei shouts, he's about to run I think.

"Yusei!" I shout through. "The level of security means they're hiding something. Remember that!"

"Gotcha, Yuuka!" Bruno and I start running. We try making our way back to the entrance, but we only get lost. I grit my teeth. It shouldn't have been that difficult. We took a wrong turn somewhere.

"Is this the right direction?" Bruno asks me as we find a locked door.

"Judging by that, no." I shake my head, starting to turn back. "It's a dead end."

"If a door's locked, then unlock it!" Bruno opens his jacket to reveal many pockets with many tools.

"No wonder you and Yusei are such good friends!" I laugh. Bruno manages to get the door open after a little bit of tinkering. The door opens into a pitch black room.

"Where are we?" He mumbles. My head throbs as an aura appears behind us.

"This place isn't for you." The voice says.

"Who are you?" Bruno mutters as his pupils dilate. "You're…" He doesn't finish this as the man in white punches him in the stomach, knocking him out. I jump back. I read his aura. Metallic again. Wait… It's the same as that Luciano kid's. That can't be possible. How are these two related?

"I won't let anyone interfere." The man's single eye narrows.

"Who are you?" I ask again. No answer. The fight instinct triggers inside me. I run at them, getting to get a well placed kick in. He blocks me with his arm. Steel. That's what his arm is made of. I go for other. He blocks me with both arms, pushing me into the doorframe. I bang my head and everything goes black for a split second. I try getting up. He merely walks away. I try holding onto the wall as I hobble my way after him. I only get so far before black clouds my vision.

* * *

I wake up to the sensation of my chest burning, and the sound of engines roaring. I can barely stay conscious, let alone get up. My head throbs so hard, it's enough to knock me out again.

"I repeat. This factory will be destroyed in ten minutes." The sound of alarms stirs me awake.

"Yuuka…" I hear Bruno's voice. He's struggling to get up himself. "Where are we?" He helps me stand up. We walk around the dark empty space, this must be the room we unlocked.

"No idea, and who was that man?" I answer.

"What were they making here?" He questions again.

"Whatever was here is gone, they mustn't have wanted us to see it." I shake my head. Things are only getting stranger around here.

"Yuuka! Bruno!" I hear Crow call out.

"Crow!" I answer back. Crow runs into the room with Jack.

"What happened?" He asks.

"We followed Jaeger to this factory." Bruno explains.

"What happened to Yusei?" Crow asks, sounding panicked.

"We were separated." I sigh.

"Damn!" He curses, thinking of our new time limit. "Where is he?"

"That looks like the control room." Jack points to the top of the room. "If we go there, we might see what's going on in this building."

"Alright, let's go!" We start running. I suddenly become aware of how little time ten minutes is. I only hope Yusei is okay.

"It's turned on!" Crow shouts as we enter the control room.

"What's this?" Jack scans the control panel, all of it red from alarms.

"It can't be!" Crow exclaims.

"The self-destruct is on!" Bruno starts typing furiously. "There's no mistake! The self-destruct is on!" Dammit.

"Self-destruct?" Crow echoes.

"Can you stop it?" Jack asks.

"No! The keyboard isn't working!" Suddenly, screens come up showing Yusei in a duel.

"Yusei!" Crow exclaims. "He's dueling. What's that robot?"

"Why is Jaeger also there?" Jack ponders, confused. Admittedly, I am too. I look over at the mic on the control desk, no harm in trying.

"Yusei, can you hear me?" I shout into the mic. Yusei looks towards the camera.

"Yusei!" Crow leans into the mic with me.

"Yusei, are you okay?" Jack shouts from the other side of the deck.

"What's going on, Yusei?" Bruno shouts next.

"Yuuka! Jack! Crow! Bruno!" Yusei exclaims.

"Stop wasting time! Hurry up and leave! The factory is going to explode soon!" Jack moves closer to the mic, though I still grip it for dear life. I realise that if something goes wrong, this could be the last time I talk to Yusei.

"What?" The panic shows in Yusei's eyes.

"I knew that's what the counter was showing!" I hear Jaeger scream in the background.

"Hurry up and leave, Yusei! There's no time!" My hand shakes as I struggle to get the words out.

"I can't. The door won't open unless I defeat it."

"What?" Crow shouts into the mic without intending to.

"No way." Bruno mutters.

"Then stop playing around and defeat it quickly!" Jack shouts again.

"He can't. It's using a powerful lock deck!" Jaeger screams back.

"There's no time left!" Jack's tone only gets more frantic.

"Forget about me! Leave!" Yusei screams back.

"We can't do that!" I feel tears burning in my tear ducts.

"Don't worry. I know how to win." I believe in Yusei, I tell myself. I let go of the microphone.

"How can you say that you're fine? Everyone, please save me!" Jaeger just keeps screaming.

"There's no time! Go!" Yusei's tone is firm. I start walking.

"Yusei…" Bruno mutters.

"Fine. We leaving, Crow, Bruno!" Jack follows my lead.

"I can't leave Yusei behind! You can leave if you want to!" Bruno shouts. Jack lands a solid hit on Bruno's face, throwing him into the control desk. "Ouch! Why did you do that?"

"If you're not going to leave, then I'll drag you out!" Jack's tone is deadly serious. I close my eyes and sigh.

"What?" Bruno asks.

"You're not the only one who's hurting!" Crow grits his teeth and walks with us.

"Crow... Jack... I understand." Bruno nods.

"Yusei, I'll be waiting for you!" Crow shouts back at Yusei.

"Yeah. Jack, I leave the rest to you." Yusei nods at the camera.

"I won't forgive you if you die here!" Jack lifts his head.

"Yusei, make sure you come back!" Bruno says.

"If you don't come back, I'll kill you myself!" I shout back at Yusei before I start running.

"Right." I hear the smile in Yusei's voice. "Go!"

We run down the darkened corridors again. I nearly stumble a few times as usual. The knock on the head really had an effect on me.

"You don't know Yusei. He told us to leave because he felt that he was troubling us." Jack says to Bruno as we run.

"But neither we nor Yusei are giving up!" Crow adds.

"Even if his chances of losing are 99%..." Jack's words trail off.

"He believes in the final 1% and wins!" Crow finishes Jack's sentence with a smile.

"That's the kinda guy Yusei is." I add.

"Jack... Crow… Yuuka... Okay. I'll believe in Yusei!" Bruno smiles.

The robotic voice over the speakers starts counting down from sixty. We starts running quicker, if that's possible. We barely make it out the door as the timer hits zero. We hear explosions in the background. Fire starts erupting from the building. We're a good distance away from the building when it finally explodes. The force of it is enough to knock us to the ground. I cover the back of my neck in my panic. As soon as I fall on the ground, it hits me. Yusei. He was still in there. Jack, Crow and Bruno stand up. But I can't find the strength, tears threaten to fall.

"Yusei…" They all repeat.

A plume of black smoke and fire fills the sky. A yellow balloon peaks out from the smoke, Jaeger following, then Yusei hanging on for dear life. My breath is so shaky that every part of me jitters. I nearly cry from the relief alone.

"Yusei!" I shout followed by Crow and Bruno.

"I knew you'd be safe!" Jack helps me up.

"It's just as you said, Jack." Bruno smiles.

"Of course!" Jack grins.

Jaeger drops Yusei on a nearby grassy hill. I run as fast as my feet can carry me.

"Yusei!" I scream again. I hug him so tight that he falls to the ground, taking me with him. My face feels embarrassingly hot as I get up off him. We both laugh. His hair is a mess, which makes me laugh more. I laugh off all of the stress that was in my body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka's reaction to Rua saying that Yusei and Bruno has always rubbed me the wrong way. I changed that to something a bit more in line with how Ruka is presented with canon normally.


	53. Mistaken Identity

"You know what? I really miss this." Takumi says, finishing his second bottle of beer.

"I mean, yeah." I reply. Though, this venue brings a lot of bad memories. The Psycho nightclub actually functions as a bar during the day. As if alcoholism wasn't enough of a problem among psychics. It was here that my whole relationship with Raiden actually started. There were two separate times if I'm being honest. The first, I realised that I liked him more than someone I just looked up to. The second, I realised that the feeling was mutual.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Takumi asks.

"Some bad memories." I say, sipping my vodka.

"Raiden isn't going to come back, he's gone. You don't have to worry about him anymore." Takumi tries to comfort me. I know that's not the truth.

"If you're gonna comfort me, don't lie to me."

"We'll face him together then. That's the least I could do." There's a strange look in Takumi's eyes. He's knows where I'm coming from. "We're nearly done." He told his story once in the wee hours of the morning when the alcohol started to fade away. He had joined the Onyx Slicers about the same time I joined Black Flag. He had helped Kenta through some rough shit, it's wasn't his place to say he said. The Jackals had taken out their leader in a particularly bloody battle. The title of leader got passed around a few more times. Then finally, Takumi had the bloodied crown forced onto his head. There was no one else left to lead. With Kenta as his right hand man, they managed to stabilise the gang. Takumi still bears the scar from his first fight as leader, a long line cutting right down the center of his chest.

"I suppose." I take another sip. "We're a lot alike, you and me."

* * *

My phone rings on the desk beside me. I groan, pulling the pillow over my head. Then I realise it's the middle of the night. I pat my nightstand, reaching for the phone. Not moving from my spot on the bed, I answer.

"Yusei, you do realise it's two in the morning?" I sigh.

"Yuuka, Jack just got arrested!" I squint despite it being pitch black. He sounds pretty panicked which makes me know that this isn't a weird dream. "They have footage of him crashing into duelists on the highway."

"What?" I sit up, throwing my jacket on.

"I don't know either." Yusei answers as I turn on my lamp. "We're driving to Security HQ now, will we meet you there?"

"Yeah. Give like ten minutes."

* * *

I run into where they're keeping Jack. I greet Yusei, Crow and Bruno on the way in as Ushio and Mikage bring up a monitor.

"This is security camera footage from the highway." Mikage switches on the footage of the Wheel of Fortune crashing into many different duelists.

"Wheel of Fortune!" Crow exclaims.

"Red Daemon's Dragon?" Yusei questions the oddly coloured Red Daemon's Dragon.

"He's clearly trying to make his opponent crash during the Riding Duel. There were already three incidents in the past week." Ushio turns off the footage.

"Can it be...?" Crow mutters.

"Do you remember something?" Ushio jumps slightly at the chance of some testimony.

"About a week ago... The three of us were doing tag riding training for the WRGP." Bruno explains.

"Basically, Jack didn't want to do the whole  _playing as a team_  thing, there was arguing. Then, Jack quit the team and drove off." I give them the short explanation. Crow moves the railings, looking over the pit where they're keeping Jack. A little inhumane, I think. It's more like a zoo than a prison, it even has the layer of glass.

"Jack, how could you do that? I misjudged you!" Crow shouts through the glass at Jack. Jack stands in the middle of the containment with his back facing us.

"I didn't do anything!" He merely says back.

"That sounds wrong! Red Daemon's Dragon is a unique card. You have the only copy in the world! Who else would have it?" Crow grits his teeth, gripping the railings harder.

"I don't know. Anyways, I didn't do it!" Jack's aura, he's telling the truth.

"Heh, I know your plan." There's a twisted smile on Crow's face. "Since you can't do anything alone, you decided to hurt our team's reputation so that we can't enter the WRGP!" I gasp softly at his accusation. Jack would never do that. He might be an asshole sometimes, but he'd never stoop  _that_  low. Jack turns around slightly.

"How  _dare_  you!" Jack finally shouts back. He fully turns around, looking up at Crow. "Do you really think I would do that?"

"Yeah. You destroy everything you hate!"

"Hey Crow!" Yusei puts his hand on Crow's shoulder only for him to shrug it off. Right, that's it.

"You're a selfish kid who wants to inherit the world!" Crow keeps shouting.

"Crow, stop it!" I grab Crow by the torso, pulling him away from the railings.

"Take it back! Apologise!" Jack shouts up at us. Security officers grab him by both arms.

"Be quiet!" One of them says, pulling him off.

"I'll never apologise to you!"

"Crow, that's enough!" I manage to get Crow off the railings, despite his protests.

"Crow, calm down!" Yusei says, moving in front of him.

"Yusei, you should tell him off too!" Crow points to the glass wall, before turning around to me. "You too, Yuuka!" Anger bubbles up inside me. Without thinking, my hand moves on its own, slapping Crow across the face. I hear Yusei gasp.

"Jack is our friend!" I grit my teeth. "You should be defending him, not treating him like this!" Crow's mouth still forms a hard line. I sigh. "I'm going home."

* * *

"So, you couldn't ask him anything." Aki huffs. We got back from Security headquarters to find Aki, Rua and Ruka camped out on the couch in the kitchen. Yusei must have called them after he called me earlier, or maybe it's a Signer thing.

"Yeah." Yusei sighs.

"It's Crow's fault." Bruno says, turning to him. "You didn't have to talk to him like that."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Crow sighs, seems like I slapped some sense into him. "I lost my temper."

"Can't anything be done?" There's a tone of desperation in Rua's voice.

"Since Jack's arrest, there's been no sightings of the D-Wheeler who caused the accidents. Furthermore, Jack doesn't have any alibis during the times when the D-Wheeler appeared." Yusei moves his hand to his mouth.

"In other words, according to the evidence, Jack is in a bad situation." Bruno sighs.

"Oh no..." The twins cry out in sync.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Aki questions.

"The only thing left is to prove Jack's innocence." I say, crossing my arms and leaning on the kitchen countertop.

"I got it! Let's find the real criminal! There's someone pretending to be Jack and doing bad things!" Rua suddenly jumps up.

"How are we going to find him? We have no leads." Ruka interjects.

"Unfortunately, we have to let Security handle this." Yusei sighs. Rua sits down quietly.

* * *

Yusei's phone ringing alerts me to the fact that I fell asleep on Aki's shoulder. I suddenly move before she realises, not that I think she'd mind too much.

"What?" Aki stirs at the sound of Yusei's voice. "Jack escaped?" She suddenly jumps, throwing Rua off her lap when he had been sleeping. "Understood?"

"He escaped?" Aki repeats.

"From Security?" There's a hint of disbelief in Ruka's voice.

"How could he do something so stupid?" Crow's voice raises a little.

"Crow, it's Security HQ." I sigh. "I doubt he could have broken out by himself, I think the real culprit is luring him out."

"That means that he's probably searching for the real criminal!" Rua clenches his fist.

"That means Jack is heading towards…" Yusei's words trail off.

"The highway." I finish.

* * *

Yusei, Crow and I speed down the highway looking for Jack. I keep an eye for any duel lanes, cause I know Jack and he would duel the heck out of the person pretending to be him. When we turn, the lane above us is a duel lane.

"There's duel up ahead." Yusei says, stating the obvious.

"It might be Jack." Crow responds. We start speeding, getting onto the lane once the duel ends. We stop when we spot the Wheel of Fortune and Red Daemon's Dragon in front of us. I spot the broken barrier behind Jack, another victim?

"Jack!" Yusei shouts. Wait, this isn't Jack. The aura...

"Why did you escape?" Crow practically screams. Jack raises his hand, flicking his wrist. The rather purple looking Red Daemon's Dragon sends a plume of fire at us. It doesn't hurt us, but it's enough to blind us for a split second. When it finally clears, he's nowhere to be seen. What is going on here?

* * *

"The suspect, Jack Atlas, escaped last night and his current whereabouts are unknown." The morning news drones on. "Security has increased their highway patrols. They're warning citizens against using the highways." Bruno switches the streaming service off on the desktop in the kitchen.

"Where did Jack go?" Rua asks. I'm squished beside Aki on the couch again. Yusei sits on the arm of the couch next to me with his hand holding the back of the couch. This is the closest we've actually sat together in days. I don't think I can last much longer.

"Yuuka, Yusei, Crow." Aki looks to the three of us in turn. "Didn't you meet Jack yesterday?"

"Yes, but…" Yusei trails off.

"That wasn't Jack." I stand up. "I'm certain of it. The aura wasn't the same. Besides, for a supposedly  _Red_  dragon, Red Daemon's Dragon seemed awfully purple, didn't it?" We've heard nothing about the apparent crash that took place there. What if…? I take my phone out of my pocket, I dial up a number that I've never used myself. "Carly? It's Yuuka. I need your help."

"I'm so glad you think Jack is innocent too." Carly says once I get into her car.

"I know he is." I sigh.

"Jack claims that he is, so I believe him." I smile, shaking my head.

"How are things going with you and Jack? I never asked you after I gave him your number that one time." I swear I see her face flush a little, she just focuses on the road.

"Good, good. We're talking now at least." She smiles.

"Anything else?" I grin at her, which makes her more flustered.

"Maybe, I don't know. You never know with Jack, do you?" Her smile seems more awkward now.

"Ain't that the truth." We laugh.

"Before we look at where you saw Jack this morning, I have to go talk to some people who say that have some important footage that might crack our case."

"Ooh, what kind of footage?" I purse my lips, sounds like we have a lead. Carly drives into a carpark, just off the highway. She knocks on the window of the only car in here. The window lowers to reveal two hippies that look vaguely familiar. I swear I've seen them in the background of news broadcasts before.

"What have you got?" Carly asks as I lean my forearm on the roof of the car.

"Right." The man in the driver's seat starts talking with his hands, which is never a good sign. "We were driving just now, and we saw  _two_  Wheel of Fortunes! Two! Can you believe it?" My eyes widen.

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" I ask, leaning down.

"Yeah, it's true." The man pulls out his camera and shows us a still frame from a video. He's right. "See? There's no doubt! They're both Jack Atlas's D-Wheels." Looks like my instinct was right. But does that mean that Jack…?

"They were driving very recklessly!" The woman inside the car comments. My eyes widen and I gulp.

"Why are there two of them?" The man ponders. I see Carly's eyes twinkle behind her glasses.

"Could you please send me that video?" Carly gets a piece of paper out of her bag and a little pen. She writes furiously, before handing the man the piece of paper. "Here's my e-mail. I'll get in touch with you again later. We're in a rush, goodbye!" Carly drags me by the arm into the car. "Can you call Yusei for me? Tell him that we've on our way over, we've got to tell him the news."

"Two Wheel of Fortunes?" Crow squints at us, confused, as we explain the pictures which Carly had just received.

"There's only one Wheel of Fortune in the world. The D-Wheel only belongs to Jack." I nod. "Since there are two…" Yusei's eyes widen, making the same realisation that I did. "The Jack we saw was a fake!"

"Then where's the real Jack?" Crow asks.

"The barrier behind the fake Jack was broken like someone crashed through it." I say.

"Then…" Crow goes suddenly silent. He starts running inside to go get his D-Wheel. We follow him. I wave back at Carly who just sighs.

* * *

We follow the coast until we spot the broken barrier. Crow slides down the small cliff to the waterfront.

"Crow!" Yusei calls after him as we both follow him.

"It's…" He mumbles before kneeling down and picking up a card on the rocks.

"That's Trust Guardian!" Yusei gasps. It's as I feared. It's almost as if Crow collapses in on himself.

"Jack fell into the ocean!" Crow drops the card. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and focus. I can feel Jack's aura nearby.

"Crow…" I say before he ignores me.

"Damn! How could I say those things to him? Jack!" There's a clear anguish in Crow's voice. Yusei kneels down beside Crow, picking up Trust Guardian.

"Jack…" Yusei mumbles as my phone starts to ring.

"Hey Carly, what's up?"

"Big trouble! Big trouble! Jack appeared on the highway again!" Yusei quickly turns around to look at me, hearing Carly screaming over the phone.

We manage to get our way onto the lane Carly told us about, a miracle to say the least. We enter a tunnel, only to find a crash pile of Security bikes. I know we're going in the right direction. We find the Security officer who Jack accidently made crash because we let the Cross Syndicate keep doing illegal shit even though we took their territory.

"Stop!" Crow shouts at the fake Jack.

"Yusei! Crow!" The officer shouts back to us. I've never actually met this guy before, but I'm rolling with it.

"How dare you kill Jack!" Pure venom spills from Crow's lips.

"He killed Jack? What do you mean?" And we wonder why Security gets nothing done.

"That Jack is a fake!" Yusei answers.

"What?" The officer exclaims. The fake Jack laughs at this.

"What a funny thing to say! I'm the real Jack Atlas!" Wrong. As much as he looks like Jack, the aura is all wrong. There's hints of Jack in there, but it's not the real deal.

"Whatever! You're not Jack!" I hear the tears in Crow's voice. "Jack is arrogant, selfish and a gigantic idiot! But he's a dear friend who battled alongside us! But I didn't believe him! I have to apologise to him! That's why I'm going to get Jack's revenge!" As weird as it sounds, I sense glimpses of Jack's aura in the air. I look around us. He's nowhere to be seen, but I  _feel_  him.

"Go ahead and try!" The fake Jack slows down, moving in Crow before backing into him. Crow's D-Wheel flies backward, with him going with it.

"Crow!" Yusei and I scream.

"Pummeling and devouring the weak is proof that I'm Jack Atlas!" I grit my teeth as the fake Jack laughs.

"Wrong! If you're the real Jack, you would know that true power is caring about your friends!" Yusei shouts.

"A King doesn't need that! Being alone means that you're standing alone at the top!" Exhaust smoke starts pouring in our faces.

"Yusei!" The officer screams. The fake Jack starts moving in front of Yusei. I panic. I bang into the side of Yusei, pushing him away. The other Jack moves between us for a split second before moving behind us. We accelerate, leaving the tunnel.

"I'm following the suspect north through the Center Field District. There are injured people. Please provide backup!" I hear the officer talking over his microphone. The fake Jack speeds ahead of us. I take a deep breath in anticipation. Wait.

"Yusei! Yuuka!" I hear Jack's voice shouting. A second Wheel of Fortune jumps into the lane ahead of us, crashing into the fake Jack. "I won't let you do whatever you want, you phony!"

"Jack?" Yusei's eyes widen. I smile.

"There are two Jacks?" That smile fades. Security, I swear.

"Here!" Yusei manages to get Trust Guardian to Jack.

"You really want me to use this." Jack smirks, putting the card in his deck.

"This all started because you wouldn't use this card, so yeah, we'd want to use it, yes." Jack just accelerates away from us towards the faker. "You said that my current self can't defeat my former self! If you're my former self, then I'll show you that you can't defeat my current self! Duel me!"

"Field Magic, Speed World 2, set on!" Both of the Jacks talking at once is confusing my senses a little as they sound the exact same.

"Duel Mode, on." The automated voice chimes. Light shines around the two Wheel of Fortunes in an infinity symbol.

"It's this light again. Duel damage becomes real." My eyes widen at Jack's words. The lane changes around us with the usual warnings.

"Riding Duel!"

"Acceleration!" They both shout, starting the duel.

"My turn!" The fake Jack takes the first turn. "I summon Archfiend Interceptor(ATK:1400)! I set one card and end my turn! Entertain this King, pitiful clown!"

"You shouldn't be overconfident! My turn!" Jack starts his turn as their Speed Counters become 1. "When monsters are only on my opponent's field, I can Special Summon Vice Dragon(ATK:1000)! Then, I summon the Tuner Monster, Trust Guardian(ATK:0)!"

"Jack!" Yusei and I look at each other, smiling. Glad to know this shitshow of the last 24 hours ended in something good happening.

"Level 3 Trust Guardian tunes Level 5 Vice Dragon! The pulse of the King forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! My soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Red Daemon's Dragon, the real one, appears, flying overhead.

"You're not allowed in the duel lane!" The officer shouts back at Carly's car which has appeared behind us.

"Don't be nitpicky!" She screams back.

"Battle! Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Archfiend Interceptor! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack declares his attack.

"Due to Archfiend Interceptor's affect, you take 500 points of damage when it's attacked." The faker smirks as Jack's life points drop to 3500.

"But your Archfiend Interceptor is destroyed!" The faker's life points also drop, this time to 2400. "I set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn!" The faker starts his turn, with their Speed Counters at 2. "When monsters are only on your side of the field, I can Special Summon Vice Dragon(ATK:1000)!"

"It's coming!" Jack exclaims. What must it be like dueling someone with the same deck as you?

"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster Flare Resonator(ATK:300)! Level 3 Flare Resonator tunes Level 5 Vice Dragon! The pulse of the King forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! My soul! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" The faker summons his version of Jack's dragon.

"The fake version appeared!" I was right. That dragon is definitely purple.

"Two Red Daemon's Dragons?" Confusion is evident in Yusei's voice.

"This is indisputable proof!" Carly exclaims, I hope she has her camera out.

"Since Flare Resonator was used as Synchro Material, my Synchro Monster gains 300 attack points(ATK:3000-3300). Battle! Absolute Powerforce!" The faker attacks, leaving Jack at 3200 life points.

"But since Trust Guardian was used as Synchro Material... I can lower my Synchro Monster's attack by 400 points to negate its destruction(ATK:3000-2600)!" I smile. All of this will be worth if Jack learns to work with us, I think to myself.

"I set one card and end my turn!" The faker scoffs. "You decreased Red Daemon's Dragon's attack points to avoid destruction? Coward!"

"Say whatever you want! A person who relies too much on power will be defeated by power!" This experience was already worth it, I smile. "My turn!" Their Speed Counters go up again. "Battle! Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Erase the fake from the field!"

"Yours has fewer attack points. What are you going to show me?" The faker scoffs.

"The Continuous Trap, Assault Spirits! I send a monster with 1000-or-fewer attack points to the graveyard. For my turn only, that card's attack points are added to Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:2600-3300)! Vanish, fake shadows!" Jack flicks his wrist as Red Daemon's Dragon roars.

"It would normally be mutual destruction, but…"

"That's right! Trust Guardian's effect! By lowering its attack points by 400, my Red Daemon's Dragon isn't destroyed(ATK:3300-2900)! I set one card and end my turn! Assault Spirits's effect ends(ATK:2900-2200)!"

"That monster is so hurt that it's no longer Red Daemon's Dragon! I'll show you the King's ultimate strategy!" The faker taunts, starting his turn. "My turn! When monsters are only on your side of the field, I can Special Summon Big Piece Golem without releasing another monster(ATK:2100)! Next, I activate the Speed Spell - Angel Baton! I draw two cards from my deck and then send one card in my hand to the graveyard. The Continuous Trap, Powerful Rebirth! I Special Summon the Level 4-or-below monster Small Piece Golem from my graveyard and equip it with this card(ATK:1100). Due to its effect, its Level and attack points increase(ATK:1100-1200/LV:3-4). When I have both Big and Small Golems, I can Special Summon Medium Piece Golem(ATK:1600)!"

"Are you going to use Speed Fusion to Fusion Summon Multiple Piece Golem?" Jack asks.

"Don't kid yourself! Your trap card, Assault Spirits, is paid as a cost to Special Summon Trap Eater(ATK:1900)!"

"A Tuner?" Jack exclaims. He couldn't be…

"Level 4 Trap Eater tunes Level 4 Small Piece Golem! Synchro Summon! Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"A second one!?" I shout, looking at Yusei. This version of Red Daemon's Dragon has a definite blue tint.

"Since I successfully Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon Synchro Magnet from my hand(ATK:1000)! Synchro Magnet tunes Big Piece Golem!" No way. "Then, the Continuous Trap, Reincarnation Ring! By releasing Level 4 Medium Piece Golem, I can Special Summon a monster from my grave that has double its Level! Appear, two Red Daemon's Dragons!" Two dragons, purple and yellow, appear overhead.

"He summoned three Red Daemon's Dragons!" Jack shouts.

"No way!" Yusei exclaims.

"Incredible!" The Security officer says, more amazed than anything.

"This isn't possible!" I shout.

"This is unprecedented! This is the climax of the greatest show on Earth!" The faker laughs. "The three Red Daemon's Dragons attack your decaying Red Daemon's Dragon!" The first two dragons attack, leaving Jack at 1200 life points.

"Hang in there!" Jack shouts up to his own Red Daemon's Dragon, whose attack points sit at 1400 due to Trust Guardian's effect.

"This is the end! The third Red Daemon's Dragon attacks!" The faker points his hand to the sky.

"If this attack succeeds, Jack will run out of life points!" I grit my teeth.

"This is bad!" The Security officer mutters under his breath.

"Don't lose, Jack!" Carly screams, still trailing behind us. The faker laughs, as Jack disappears in the plume of flames. I spot the wings of Jack's Red Daemon's Dragon peeking out of the flames as they subside. The real Wheel of Fortune as the path clears.

"Jack!" I sigh in relief. Jack emerges from the fire with a measly 400 life points.

"You activates Ray of Hope and halved the damage." The faker tuts, hoping he had taken down Jack once and for all.

"Red Daemon's Dragon, you hung in there(ATK:1400-1000)!" I hear a smile in Jack's voice as he speaks to Red Daemon's Dragon. "As long as you're around, my soul will never break! Ray of Hope's other effect! After the end of the Battle Phase, I Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my hand! I Special Summon Dark Bug(ATK:100)!"

"Hmph, I end my turn." The faker scoffs. "Red Daemon's Dragon withers every time it takes an attack, losing its claws, fangs and desire to battle. That symbolises your current state!"

"You're wrong! My previous self was a foolish man who only believed in his power!" I remember how Jack acted when he was King. It seems so long ago now. "But now, I have friends that I can trust! Despite being hurt, Red Daemon's Dragon continues to battle, and Trust Guardian continues to protect it! That's the proof of our bond!"

"Jack…" Yusei and I smile.

"Since I understand true power, I won't yield to my own ghost!" I feel my heart throbbing wildly as Yusei's Signer Mark starts to glow beside me. "I received your bond!" Yusei's Signer Mark disappears, causing the full brand of the Crimson Dragon to appear on Jack's back. "I'll show you the current Jack Atlas's true power! My turn!" Jack starts his turn as he gains another Speed Counter. "Appear, Savior Dragon(ATK:0)! Let's do this together, Red Daemon's Dragon! Level 1 Savior Dragon tunes Level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon and Level 1 Dark Bug! The polished superior light! Illuminate the land as the true ruler! Shine bright! Synchro Summon! The great soul, Savior Red Dragon(ATK:4000)!"

"What's this glow?" The faker asks. The power of the Crimson Dragon. Something inside me twitches at this bright light.

"Savior Red Dragon's monster effect! It gains attack points equal to one of your monsters until the End Phase! Power Gain(ATK:4000-7000)!"

"7000 attack points?" The faker exclaims. I gasp.

"The evil illusion that confuses the light! Vanish in the cracks of time! Ultimate Powerforce!" Jack raises his hand to the sky. The faker's life points drop to 0. The flames cause a blinding light. I watch the faker. What? His skin melts off to reveal a metal frame underneath. Another robot? As quickly as I see it, the robot disintegrates into nothing.

"This one is also a robot?" Yusei turns to me, looking for confirmation. I nod shakily. The flames turn into smoke, pluming up into the sky. The faker's card spill out onto the lane. I spot the three Red Daemon's Dragons falling together. They start disintegrating too, their remains being swept into the wind. Yusei and I disembark our D-Wheels. Jack drives back towards us.

"Jack!" Yusei smiles as Jack stops in front of it.

"Well done, buddy." I smile, sighing in relief.

"You did it!" The officer cheers as Carly takes pictures of Jack. "I'll vouch for you that a copycat committed all the crimes."

"Jack will be acquitted…" I hear Carly sniffle. Crow screeches to a stop beside Jack, and takes his helmet off.

"Jack!" Crow exclaims, I hear the tears threatening to fall in his voice.

"Crow." Jack smiles.

"You're alive?" Crow wipes his face using his gloves, too late. "I guess if you were someone who'd die easily, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble." He shrugs his shoulders, smiling.

"I said it wasn't me from the start." Jack smirks. "Come to think of it, weren't you going to apologise to me?"

"How did you know that?" Crow huffs. We all laugh at Crow's expense, as usual.

* * *

Jack explains that after he crashed into the sea, he woke up in a cave, concealed by steel doors. We return to the spot he escaped from. Everything looks completely normal.

"Is this really the place?" Crow asks with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah, but everything is gone. What's up with that robot? Who created a copycat robot to challenge me to a duel?"

"I have no idea, but I have a feeling it's connected to that Luciano kid. It's reminding me of how his mansion disappeared all of a sudden." I pout slightly.

"Since it was a robot, does that mean it's the same as Ghost?" Crow ponders.

"Probably." I answer. I'm starting to feel like a pawn in some greater game. Something inside me tells me that it's only going to get worse from here.

"It takes incredible skill to copy Red Daemon's Dragon and create a robot that looks like Jack." Yusei says. He looks right into my eyes as if I have an answer. "What's happening around us?"


	54. The Fabled Queen

I roll over and check my phone. Yusei still hasn't text me back, another all-nighter I reckon. Whenever he pulls one, he gets so invested in his new D-Wheel engine that he forgets to text me. It's currently half three in the morning which means that he'll probably text in the next three hours or so. I turn onto my side, trying to get some more shut-eye before the sun makes it so I can't sleep anymore. But that won't happen as my phone starts ringing. I squint despite the fact that my room is only dimly lit because of my phone.

"Crow?" I answer. "Dude, do you realise how early it is?" The last time I was woken like this, Jack had just been arrested, I can't imagine it can get any worse than that. Then, I realise. It can.

"I don't care." My eyes widen at his panicked tone.

"What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up and turning on my lamp. At this point, I'm expecting some news that gonna make me get up and get dressed.

"Yusei's missing." In that split second, my world freezes. My breath catches in my throat and my heart refuses to beat. Kaoru's aura suddenly jolts in the room beside me. "He's been gone since this afternoon. He went out to get parts and hasn't come back."

"What?" I mutter, trying to get air into my lungs.

"You haven't heard from him either?" I hear Crow take a deep breath. "Then something must be really wrong." I gasp. He's been kidnapped, I realise. Not another WRGP team. A gang.

"I'm coming over, don't do anything. Stay in the garage until I get over." I stumble over my words as I try to get them out as fast as I can. I feel Kaoru moving around so I hang up. He's thinking the same thing, I catch glimpses at his thoughts.

"Okay." Crow hangs up and I sigh. I put my head in my hands, throwing my phone on the bed. My breath catches in my throat. I need to stay calm. I'm already feeling the electricity in my veins. Kaoru knocks on my door. I tell him to go downstairs and wait for me, mentally as to not wake Kasumi. I start getting dressed. I only focus on one thing at a time. One sleeve on, two sleeves on, tank top pulled over head, tuck top into jeans. Put jacket on, put my pads on. I'll drive over to Poppo Time, I think, the quickest way.

"Who is it?" Kaoru asks once I get downstairs. He's packing a bag with our gang clothes in it.

"I don't know." I reply. "My bet is Cardinal Dragons, they're the only gang left and they wanted to do this on their own terms." I step into the garage, picking up my helmet.

"You're not driving." Kaoru says. I glare at him, but he keeps going. "Not like this, you're not. You're too emotional right now, you'll probably crash again and that's not going to help anyone." It's then I realise how much my hands are shaking. He puts his hand on top of the helmet, steadying it with the weight of his hands. His hand doesn't shake at all, it's completely firm. His thoughts aren't racing like mine. He's completely calm. "I'll drive us over, it'll be a tight squeeze on my D-Wheel, but it'll be worth it." I exhale, shaking while putting my helmet on.

* * *

Kaoru doesn't talk to me as we drive. His head is completely devoid of thoughts of anything except the road in front of us. This is the one time I'll allow myself to dip into his thoughts. I need the monotonous thoughts of driving to calm me down.

Crow opens the garage door for us, and Kaoru parks in the garage next to Yusei's D-Wheel. His D-Wheel is still here, shit, can't track him that way. Kenta and Takumi are here. Kaoru must have called them.

"Yuuka? What's wrong?" Aki asks me. I start pacing around. I can't answer as my lungs can't catch enough air.

"Drink this." Kenta hands me a cup of coffee. "I know you haven't had any." I gulp enough down so I can pace without it spilling.

"Yuuka?" Crow asks this time. My hands are shaking so much that Kaoru takes the cup off me.

"It's all my fault." I mutter.

"What?" Crow asks again, his fingers brushing off my arms.

"It's my fault." I say again.

"What does that mean?" Aki asks. I clench my fists, my knuckles turning white.

"Answer us!" Jack's shouts stop me in my tracks.

"It's my fault Yusei got kidnapped!" Crow, Jack and Aki stare at me.

"What?" Crow repeats.

"I was right." Aki mutters. Everyone turns to look at Aki. My stomach drops.

"What do you know?" Takumi questions, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yusei and I were attacked a few months ago by a duel gang, but some members of Team Liberations saved us. I thought it was impossible because we were saved by two guys, but no." Aki pauses. For once, Kaoru's composure breaks. "Yuuka and Kaoru were the ones who saved us."

"Yuuka, is this true?" Jack glares at me.

"So you're the infamous Yuudai, huh?" Crow's eyebrows furrow. "The one who gave Black Flag to? You never gave up gangs in the first place. You  _lied_  to us."

"No." I cough. "I mean, yes. But I did it to protect all of you." I take a deep breath before I start to lose the plot. "Gangs here are different from the Satellite. If my identity got leaked, you'd all be in grave danger."

"So you had this planned from the start?" Crow glares at me. I'm reminded of his face when Jack got arrested. There's pain in his eyes. It feels like I've just taken a blow to the stomach.

"I had this planned before the Fortune Cup, okay? Then all that shit happened so it only started after Christmas."

"You could have told us." Crow steps closer to me. "I thought you trusted us!"

"I do." I take a few steps back. "I just don't know-"

"This is an argument best saved for another time." Kenta steps in between Crow and I. "But Yusei Fudo has been kidnapped, and we need to get him back. I suspect we'll get the ransom call soon." The room stays silent for a few moments. Crow refuses to look at me.

"I guess you're right." Crow finally mutters under his breath.

"Do you know who it was?" Jack asks.

"Most likely a gang called Cardinal Dragons. They're the only gang whose territory we haven't conquered." Takumi says. He stares at me. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"You've gotten that far?" Crow asks. I nod.

"There weren't many gangs left after the fall of Black Flag. A huge turf started and about half of them got knocked out."

"Wait a minute." Jack interjects. "I fought the leader of the Cross Syndicate a few weeks ago."

"They were a gang that we knocked out, but we still allowed them to keep doing whatever illegal stuff they were doing and just took their territory." Kaoru answers. "Apparently, they were more known for their illegal stuff rather than being a duel gang."

The room fades back into silence. We wait on a phone call that may or may not ever come. I start pacing again. I don't think anyone minds too much. Not that I'd care in this exact moment. I pass by Takumi, who's phone starts ringing. Everyone's eyes move to us. Takumi hands me the phone he uses specifically for gang stuff. A blocky old phone that looks like it's had better days. It's such an old model that it makes me cringe sometimes. No touch screen, like who would even want that nowadays? I take the phone. I take a deep breath as it vibrates in my hand.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Am I speaking to Yuudai?" The voice asks.

"That's me." I make my voice sound deeper.

"We have Yusei Fudo." I grit my teeth. "If you want him back, then come to our base. We can have a nice  _chat_." The person talking is grinning, I hear it in their voice. "Cardinal Dragons' base, you know where to find us." I go to respond but they hang up. I'm left staring at the phone. The feeling of bile rises in my throat. Takumi pries the phone from my cold hands.

"We were right. It is Cardinal Dragons." Takumi says, putting the phone back in his pocket. "They never specified that you come alone so we'll leave as a team."

"What about us?" Crow asks, stepping forward. "We can help too! Jack and I were in a duel gang before, we can help."

"I can help too. I'm a psychic." Aki steps forward too.

"Where's Bruno?" I ask, realising he was never in the room in the first place.

"Out looking for Yusei. He's been searching for hours at this stage, we need to tell him to come back." I start going up the stairs even before Crow finishes talking.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jack asks.

"Getting changed, I'm bringing the fight to them. We're going to conquer their territory and settle this once and for all." Kenta follows me up the stairs. He grabs my wrist in the kitchen.

"Wait a second."

"Kenta, I don't-" He shushes me, reaching into his backpack.

"Here's a binder." He places the perfectly white binder, folded up, in my hands. "You told me you were using ace bandages, so I got you this so you weren't hurt yourself again. I know that's why you passed out during the thing with Cross Syndicate. I just kinda guessed with your size, might be a bit big."

"Thank you." I manage to smile, despite everything. "I mean it. You didn't have to go to all this effort for me."

"No problem, I needed a new binder too anyway." He avoids my gaze, a little flustered. I chuckle, makes sense. He scratches the back of his head. "Hurry up getting changed." He flicks his wrist at me, silently tell me to move along. He turns around, before quickly flicking his head back. "Oh, you step into inside out and pull it up."

"Thanks." He smiles at me. He chuckles at me when I pull a confused face.

* * *

"You look weird with dark hair." Crow tells me.

"I've been told."

We leave Poppo Time while it's still dark out. We all put our wigs on, but decide to leave our masks off until we're nearly there. Crow, Jack and Aki forcefully tag along. Takumi isn't fond of the idea. But then I remind that Yusei is their friend too. He sighs.

It hits me again all of a sudden. Yusei's in danger. They could be doing god knows what to him right now, and I could never know. I start sprinting. Everyone shouts at me, but I don't listen to them. The only thing I can focus on is Yusei.

A strange sensation hits me. My temple throbs. I have to stop in some alleyway a bit away from the base.  _Where am I? They said she's on her way._  An empty room. I feel my eyes trail the walls of the room, going from corner to corner.  _The sun should be rising soon._  I feel the numbness that only comes from bleeding.  _Where is she? Yuuka_.

I zone back into reality. I'm still in that dingy alleyway. It really felt like I was in that room. I feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears. My chest feels warm. Yusei. It was him. I know it. He's in their base, alone and hurt. I feel my blood starting to boil. They hurt him. I clench my fists. I lean against the wall. What do I do? It's then that everyone finds me.

"What _are_  we doing?" Kenta asks me, putting his mask on.

"Splitting up is our best option." I go with the flow. "We should do that before we go in case they're waiting for us."

"What about Yusei?" Jack asks.

"I'll go to find Yusei myself." I exhale. "I should be able to find him the easiest because I can sense his aura." I try focusing now, to find him. I feel it. He's okay. He's not dead. I can tell that much.

"Are you sure?" Kaoru asks me.

"Yeah. They'll be too busy focusing on the rest of you to notice me slipping in."

"Smart strategy." Kenta comments. "Then, you can get Yusei out of there and you three," he gestures to Crow, Jack and Aki, "can leave with Yusei. And then, we'll beat them."

"You leave?" Crow squints a little. "We came to help, not leave."

"My biggest priority right now is getting Yusei out of here and to safety." I sigh. "Can I trust one of you then please?"

"I can do that, Yuuka." Aki volunteers.

"Thank you. Now come on, we're wasting enough time as it is."

* * *

"Yuuka, what way are we entering?" Crow asks me as we reach the worn down apartment building. Hasn't been touched in years I reckon. Like Zero Reverse old. Doesn't really seem like it's used even for this gang. I suspect that they actually use a different building altogether.

"You guys go in the front, or split up. I don't care." I've singled out Yusei's aura. Anything else doesn't matter.

"Hey, are we-" I hear Kaoru start. I hop up and grab window ledges until I reach the third floor. "Where's she gone?"

"If you value your sanity, don't look up." I hear Kenta sigh. I kick in a window.

"Oi, get down from there. You'll hurt yourself." I hear Kaoru yell up at me.

"Go in the front!" I shout back, popping my head back out the window. He see scoff and lead everyone away.

I reach out for Yusei's aura. It's nearby. The door falls off its hinges as soon as I touch it. Awfully damp in here, mould creeps on the fading vintage wallpaper. The lights flicker above my head. If they go out, I'm screwed since it's still dark outside. I hear water drip slowly. I stop outside a door at the end of the corridor. I concentrate on his aura again. I see the room again. I feel the burn of restraints on my wrists. I move to open the door. Locked.

"Shit." I curse. Yusei's aura twitches. A sense of fear. I take a deep breath. I knock on the door to the beat of an old song that I used to hum in the Satellite. I feel him calm down. I kick the door once, twice. It doesn't budge. I sigh. I think about using my duel disk, but no. There's a chance I could hurt Yusei, and I can't risk that. Strange, the only thing I can hear is the water drip. I close my eyes. I'm going to have to use my body weight. I touch my back to the opposite door. I sprint the small distance, whacking my shoulder into the door. A solid thud, it's giving away more now. I go again. It creaks under my body weight. The door seems to be standing at an odd angle now. I kick it again. This time, it flies onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Yusei!" I shout. I feel tears gathering behind my mask. I step into the room. This is the room I saw in my vision. Yusei sits, tied to a chair, completely alone in the bare room. I look behind me, out into the corridor, before taking my mask off. "You're okay, you're okay." I can't help but hug him. I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. Then, I notice that he has tape over his mouth. I grimace as I pull the tape off. He curses, which is surprising for him, but given the situation, I let it slide. He sighs.

"You're okay. I was worried for you." I take a break from cutting his restraints with a pocket knife to look him in the eyes.

"You were worried about me? After you literally got  _kidnapped_?" I sigh, shaking my head.

"They told they wouldn't hurt me." Yusei rubs his wrists after I cut them both free. "I didn't know what they had done to you."

"Seems strange. I think they're trying to lure me out in particular."

"I think so too."

"How did they know to kidnap you though?" I close my eyes, having gotten his ankles free. "I think they might know who I am." I stay there, kneeling on the floor.

"There, there." Yusei helps me off the floor. "The first attack might have been the same people, but they saw you protect me so they know that I'm important to you."

"And you are." I add. He smiles, brushing the wig hair off my forehead. He leans forward, placing a light kiss there.

"You are to me too." I notice a cut on Yusei's cheek, I trace my fingers over it. The blood has dried up already.

"They hurt you." I mumble.

"It's just a scratch." He shakes his head. "It was actually an accident, I tripped over a block of concrete." He sighs as the frown still stays on my face. "I'm here to help you." He places his hands on my shoulder. "I don't have my duel disk, but I want you to use this." He reaches into his deck holder, and gives me a card. I flip it over.

"Stardust Dragon!?" I exclaim. "Yusei, I can't take this."

"You can. I believe in you." I sigh in defeat, placing Stardust in my own deck holder. He takes me in his arms, squeezing me tightly.

"Come on." I say despite not wanting to leave his arms. "You need to get out of here."

"Do we really?" Yusei asks. "There's no one in this building, I'm pretty sure." I stumble backwards out of our embrace, eyes wide.

"What?" My eyes flick back and forth. It's true. The only auras in here are the ones I arrived with. "It's a trap." I grab Yusei's wrist, pulling him with me. I start running, grabbing my mask off the ground and putting it on again. I don't bother with doors. We climb down the fire escape. Yusei has no problem keeping up with me, he's a lot fitter than I give him credit for. We start running. I yell at Kaoru inside my head. We run past my old apartment building. I see Yusei's gaze linger on it.

We stumble into the Daimon Area as the sun starts to glimpse over the horizon. I stop to catch my breath. I still haven't adapted to my new binder. It's a lot better than what I was using before, but there's time needed to get used to it. Everyone else runs into the Area a few minutes later.

"It was completely empty." Kaoru says once he reaches us.

"That's why you said it was a trap, wasn't it?" Takumi asks me, I nod in response.

"Why would they leave Yusei completely alone, when it was clear that they're luring us out?" Kenta ponders. I shrug my shoulders. I feel two auras approaching. They split up, following different paths. I fiddle with the pocket knife, still in my hand. I feel one of the auras flare, readying for something. My feet start moving on their own. They know that I'm following them. I manage to corner them in a small alley.

"So you've arrived." A deep, sultry voice calls out to me. Even though he's standing a good distance away from me, I can tell that he towers over me. Slicked dark hair and impressive cheekbones and build, he looks like something straight from the Greek pantheon. "We've waiting for you."

"You were the one who kidnapped Yusei." I deepen my voice.

"Yes, unfortunately, it had to be done. You see, we wanted to lure you out for an honest fight. I'm sure you understand."

"Do I?"

"I'd like to think you do." He walks closer to me. He watches my every move like a hawk. "I'm sure a warrior such as yourself would understand."

"A warrior? You mock me." My tone is flat. I don't have time for these games. I fiddle with the knife in my hand again.

"Have you never been used as one? Strange." My mind flicks back to the time in the Satellite. A warrior chosen by an evil god in an endless cycle of violence. "You have the eyes of a warrior."

"I'm wearing a mask, you can't see my eyes." I stutter out.

"It's in the way you look at me. I can feel it. A psychic should as yourself should know." He moves forward ever so slightly. He's cautious, but not afraid. "You know what else I can feel from you? Regret." He stops again. I tremble slightly from his gaze. I can see his eyes clearly now. Depending on how the light hits them, they're either a blue or a purple. I can't decide which.

"I use the term _indigo_." He answers.

"I didn't say that outloud." I respond, stumbling back ever so slightly.

"Oh I know." He steps towards me. "I also know you regret something you did in the Satellite." I start shaking my head wildly, stepping back even more. The sunlight hits the back of his head, obscuring his face in shadow, making his dark skin seem almost pitch black. "It involves that boy. That thought of it drives you crazy. It's made you done some terrible things. It makes you-"

"Stop it!" I scream at him. He only laughs.

"What's wrong? Never had someone read your mind before?" He steps closer, so he towers over me. He's taller than Shinji. The top of my head doesn't even reach his shoulder. He leans down, taunting me. I close my eyes as if blocking him out, my whole body trembles. "Making you relive those tortuous few days you spent all alone in the Satellite, wishing for death?" Something inside me snaps. My world starts to turn orange. I feel more powerful than I ever have before. Electricity shoots through my veins. _I will silence this man._  I move to throw my pocket knife from my left to my right hand. He steps backwards, a knife appearing in his hand. I charge forward, aiming for his ribs. He blocks with his arms. He makes a slash at my face. It tears my wig and cracks my mask. I feel the warm blood starting to trickle on the inside of my mask. I step back and go again. This time, he plunges his knife straight into my torso. I stagger backwards, hitting the wall. He runs off. I grit my teeth, push myself off the wall and follow him. His much longer legs mean that I can't catch up. I feel like I'm on fire. I have only felt this way once before. When I faced Raiden Kimura all those months ago in a collapsing building. No, I feel  _stronger_. Like I could wave my hand and empires would fall to their knees.

The man leads me to the Daimon Area again. He falls in place behind a smaller guy. His friend turns to me, and everyone else backs away. He smirks at me. His aura flares slightly just from being  _near_  me, everyone's does. I grit my teeth. This is him. I think. The real leader of the Cardinal Dragons. His posture, his face tells me everything. He stays exactly where he is. He raises his eyebrow, looking at my torso. I pull out the knife, still dug into my abdomen, and hold it in my hand. Blood runs down it and onto my gloved hand.

"Do you want this back, or should I return the favour?" I feel my mask starting to crack more as I talk and move, but I pay no mind to it.

"Well, well, well." This little bitch with his dyed turquoise hair and hideous dark brown roots, has the audacity to  _smirk_ at me. "If it isn't the Fabled Queen of Neo Domino herself." My fists clench around the two knives in my hands. My crack in my mask makes its way down to my cheekbone. It reaches the edge before falling to the ground, breaking into two pieces. "Yuuka Sasaki."


	55. In The Eye Of a Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter: Suicide mention

"It's a  _pleasure_  to have you here, Miss Sasaki." This little shit still smirks at me. He has the audacity to kidnap my boyfriend, lure me out here  _and_  have his right-hand man stab me. He is going to get it.

"Is that what the kids are calling me these days? The Fabled Queen of Neo Domino? It has a nice ring to it." I kick my broken mask out of the way as I start walking towards him. I throw my torn wig off, strands of dark brown plastic flying everywhere. Some of my actual hair falls into my face but I don't move it away.

"Jasper." He turns to the man, the one who stabbed me and was generally an unpleasant asshole, beside him. "Make sure they don't interfere." He turns back, a grin on his tanned face. "What's a Queen without her King?" He tilts his head. "You're nothing without him."

"Him?" I ask. Blood trickles down my face from the cut on my forehead. I have to squint my right eye, but I could not care less in this exact moment. I stop walking. His aura relaxes a little.

"You know who I'm talking about."

"Do I?" I feel my eyes burning in their sockets. My powers are about to break loose again.

"You should." Something twinkles in his eyes. "After all, you should feel bad after ignoring his advice."

"What do you mean?" I shake a little. Despite the small size of this guy, his aura is nothing to be underestimated.

"You went to the Satellite, all alone." Don't. "You went looking for something that was important to you." He takes a step forward and I take one back. "But something happened." He tilts his head. "I don't want what, but it  _broke_  you. You were never the same, were you?" My entire body shakes. The burning in my eyes flickers. "Countless empty bottles surrounding you. You thought you could drink the pain away, but no." He shrugs his shoulders. "It was all too much for you. You wanted out, to end your suffering. So what did you do? You tried to  _hang_  yourself." My breath quickens. The air feels so thin. Black spots start to appear in my vision. I blink away the tears threatening to fall. "But that didn't work, did it?"

"Enough!" Shinji's voice cuts through, appearing from seemingly nowhere. He stands between the little bitch and I.

"So,  _he_  had to help you, didn't he?" He keeps talking. "And guess what had to be done? Someone had to get your precious little Yusei involved, didn't they?" He turns to where everyone is standing with shocked expressions, I don't meet their eyes. "Why else would he have contacted you? To stop Little Miss Guilty from finishing the job? It was hard hiding the bruises, wasn't it? Because that's when your dear old brother showed up, if I'm remembering right? Something about his psychic powers. Don't they come from a traumatic event? But he didn't have one, isn't that right?" He turns back to Kaoru.

"What is he talking about, Yuuka?" He screams at me. I can't answer. I can barely breathe.

"When did you get your powers? Enlighten us!" His sadistic smile only grows bigger.

"A few days after the Fortune Cup." Kaoru answers, I feel his eyes on me. I feel  _everyone's_  eyes on me. I start trembling more. My vision clouds even more.

"A few days after the Fortune Cup…" He repeats. "Wasn't that when you went to the Satellite? Could it be that your traumatic experience was so bad that it triggered his powers and  _that's_  why you can hear each other's thoughts?"

"No!" I scream. I start shaking uncontrollably. I stumble backwards. "No! No! No!  _No!"_ I keep screaming. Shinji catches me as I go to fall. The world starts fading around me. Tears roll down my face freely.

"Yuuka!" I hear Yusei scream.

"Ben, that's  _enough_." I hear Jasper scold.

"I'm just doing what I was told." Ben answers.

"Doing what you're told? Please. You're a monster, that's what you are!" A voice shouts from the other side of the courtyard. Ben turns around, so I'm able to get a glimpse. I swear I'm seeing double. It looks like myself. That's not possible.

"Jasper, they have the same aura! What's going on?" I hear Ben shout.

I start crying more. I lean into Shinji beside me.  _What would Raiden do?_ That echoes in my head. What would he do if he was standing here right now?

_What would Raiden do?_

My hand reaches forward by itself.

_What would he say if he was right in front of me?_

My fingers curl inwards and my wrist flicks. I feel Ben's aura almost like it was in my reach. My hand contorts more and more, twisting his aura in my hands. Coughs splutter from his mouth. His body starts trembling, his head twists up.  _This is my doing_. I am so powerful. I could bring the world to its knees and let it perish in fire if I so wished. His hand reaches for his throat.

A sudden weight knocks me off my centre of gravity. I lose my grasp on Ben's aura, the air suddenly doesn't feel as thick. Kenta strikes my shoulder, and it goes numb. Another strike, my other arm goes numb.

"What are you doing?" I scream at him.

"Yuuka, stop!" He screams back. "Can't you see what you're doing?"

"Kenta, I need to do this. He needs to feel my pain!" Kenta's hand strikes my face.

"Stop it Yuuka!"

"No!" I look back to Ben. I can't move my hands. I stare him down. I imagine twisting his aura, taking it in my grasp and wringing it out to dry. This time, he falls to his knees. I hear shouting. I can't make out what they're saying. Jasper stands between Ben and I. He stares me down. I let go of Ben's aura and cling onto Jasper's. I do the same thing, I imagine the same motions. He falls to his knees faster. Blood dribbles down his chin. I see fear in his eyes. I hear his thoughts clearly in that moment. He doesn't worry for his own life. He only cares about Ben, the so-called love of his life. He'd miss those tender moments together, cuddling on the sofa, warm kisses goodnight. The soft, sensitive side that only he gets to see. I fall to my knees. My breath comes out in shaky puffs. I know how that feels. To be there. Only caring about that someone who makes your life worth living.  _Yusei._

I lose my grasp of Jasper's aura. He catches himself on the ground before he falls. I feel the world slipping away from me. Everything slows down. I feel both Kenta's and Shinji's hands firmly on my back.

"Hey, get us out of here!" I hear Kaoru scream. I look over. A cage made of some type of black smoky material traps my friends. Something conjured by Jasper, no doubt. He uses Dark End Dragon. He was the one that attacked Yusei and Aki, the one who attacked Saitama and I that day in the Daimon Area. Where I am right now.

"Not now!" My doppelganger screams back.

"You came for me, did you? Help us!" Kaoru shouts.

"No! I came for her!" They sprint towards me. "I love her! I told you that!" What's going on? My doppelganger kneels down in front of me. They delicately touch my face. "Are you okay?" They ask as if they didn't witness what just happened.

"Who are you?" I manage to spit out. They hesitate before taking off their mask. "Anako!" I start coughing again.

"It's okay." She cooes, rubbing my back. She helps me sit down on the ground. My mind is racing. How could he know? How could Ben know so much about me? About that time, what I did. I look up to Shinji, his eyes twitch. I realise.

"Where is he?" I immediately rise to my feet. Ben's aura quivers, but he sighs to hide it.

"You need to be more specific."

"Where is Raiden Kimura?" I scream, eliciting a gasp from everyone. "You know where he is. He's the one who told you everything."

"So what? I don't know where he is. Last thing he told me, he was in Singapore." He scoffs. "He orchestrated this whole thing, y'know. He told me exactly who to attack, where to attack. He even told me who everyone on Team Liberation would be, with one exception, but I figured that one on my own." He sighs. "Don't blame me, honey. I'm just doing what he told me. Follow this step-by-step guide and Team Liberation will not be able to beat us. And it's working, isn't it? Raiden told me what you did."

"Ben." Jasper interjects. "He lied."

"What?" Ben exclaims.

"I heard her thoughts. Raiden is to blame." Ben's eyes shift left to right. "Her actions when Black Flag fell were justified."

"What? What am I supposed to do now then?" Ben sighs. A sense of calm washes over me. I look at Kenta, his hands seems to hold a grasp of something that isn't there. That explains it. I stand up, walking closer to Ben. I stop just short a few paces of him. "What do you want? Haven't you caused enough pain already?"

"I have." I nod. "But I'm setting that right. I won't fight you."

"Then, how are you going to claim our territory?" I can feel him trying to egg me on. I feel nothing because of this false sense of calm.

"My name is Yuuka Sasaki." I sigh. "I barely survived in the Satellite. As I was approaching death's door, I was saved by a woman who had lost her own family in the Zero Reverse. Everything led me to witness the formation of Team Satisfaction, the greatest duel gang to ever grace the Satellite. They had one goal, unifying the Satellite. Our existence was poor, at best. They thought, if we couldn't escape it, why not make it better? That's exactly what they did. I carry their legacy on my shoulders, I want to do the same."

"I didn't ask for your life story." Ben rolls his eyes. "Besides, how do you know this will make the City a better place? Where's your proof?"

"You've already seen it yourself. The endless cycle of hatred and revenge is nearly broken." I step forward. "We haven't solved this through violence. We've made people see our way of thinking. This violence doesn't have to continue!" Ben merely just stares at me, unentertained. I stare at Jasper, who stays at Ben's side. "You don't have to stay here. We can leave this all behind and move on, have a normal life, settle down. Isn't that what you want, Jasper?" Ben gasps, turning to look at his boyfriend who avoids his gaze. "Am I right?"

Jasper sighs, walking slowly to stand behind me.

"I'm with her." He says calmly.

"Jasper, how could you?" There's a pain in Ben's bright red eyes.

"You've said it yourself, Ben. You've thought about leaving for a while."

"Yes, and giving the gang to someone else! Not give it up entirely!" He screams back.

"Why would we not take this chance?" Jasper pleads. "I believe in what she's doing."

Ben looks like he's going to give up. He looks around us, his eyes trail the top of the buildings. I feel auras moving closer. The people who live around here are starting to wake up, I think. Then, I realise. No. Here come the Cardinal Dragons. He sighs.

"If we give up here." Ben turns to Jasper. "Our own gang will attack us, beating us and someone will take our place." He starts walking towards me. He's not that much shorter than me, I realise. "If you can fend these off, I'll give you our territory." He smiles for once.

"Understood." There's a crash behind us. A monster I don't recognise, which must belong to Anako, breaks the case trapping my friends.

"Yuuka!" I hear them call. Yusei reaches me first, placing a hand gently on my arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I answer. I need a plan.

"Are you  _sure_?" I hear the doubt in Kaoru's voice. "You didn't seem like that a minute ago."

"You doubt her." Jasper comments. "You can hear her thoughts, can't you?"

"How do you know that?" Kaoru squints back at him.

"I can hear your thoughts in her head. Not that she pays much mind to them." Kaoru scoffs at the answer.

"Yuuka?" Crow pipes up. "Your eyes… They're orange."

"It's cause she went berserk just there." Jasper explains. "I don't know if you saw it. Her entire eye, including the whites, glowed orange. Once she snapped out of it, only her iris was orange."

"It's happened before, powers were a bit too much for me."

"It's a miracle you're still standing." Shinji raises his hand to his mouth. I know what he's about to say, I glare at him and he says nothing. My hand moves to my stab wound in order to quell the bleeding.

"What are we doing now?" Takumi asks.

"Fending off everyone who's coming to attack us now." I answer. "I just need a plan." I just need to do what I always do. I fought my way out of everything I've faced so far. The Satellite, Raiden, every gang that I've come across, the demons that dwell inside me.

"Form a line here or move out, that's the question." Takumi hums. Shinji. It feels weird to be working with Shinji on gang stuff again.  _Shinji._  That faint twinge of an aura that feel so much like Raiden's. Wait.

"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yusei asks, beside me. I turn to him. My eyes dart from side to side, his try to match mine. I feel a plan emerging from the dark place inside my mind. I see it.

"Shinji." I turn to him, everyone looks at me. "One last time?" I put my hand out for a fistbump. His eyes meet mine. I see a sliver of hesitation, before he smiles.

"One last time." His fist meets mine. I see him flinch at the blood that smears onto his fingers from my wet glove.

"Kenta! I need a favour." I jump, starting to pace as the plan becomes clearer in my head.

"Sure."

"Okay." I take my backpack off Takumi. I take out the hooks I had nabbed from The Jackals, all that time ago. I throw them on the ground. "Most of them are coming from that direction." I point over the largest entrance to the Arena. "I'll take that side with Shinji and Kenta." Shinji turns to me confused. "Anyone who wants to fight can. I recommend taking one of these. They are a lot of psychics out there, be careful." I sigh.

"Yusei, take my duel disk." Shinji hands his duel disk to Yusei, confusing everyone. "I don't think I need my duel disk, do I?" He turns to me.

"You don't." I know Jasper's inside my head again so I reach out to him. He throws me a card, I keep the front to my eyes only. I smile. This is going to work. Anako is currently using her disguise and her ability to manipulate her own aura in order to masquerade as me. Her and Kaoru on the front line will form a good distraction until my plan is put into action.

"Okay, come on, we're moving out." Shinji and Kenta following me. I feel Yusei's gaze on my back. I turn around to look at him.

"Do you trust me?" I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Of course I do." I notice my old cloak in his hands, something I had packed into my bag once in a fit of panic. "Take this. You don't have your mask, so you'll need it."

"If you insist."

"What do you want me to do?" Kenta asks once we're out of earshot of everyone.

"Shinji's aura."

"It feels like Raiden's, yes?"

"Yep, almost exactly, but weaker."

"You want me to amp it up, gotcha." Kenta take a deep breath. I feel it flare up. Despite the ache in my bones, I manage to do the same to mine. I inhale deeply. I place the first card on my duel disk. Dark End Dragon. The card Jasper lent me. Raiden Kimura's ace card. This along with Shinji's enhanced aura will scare some people away. Second card. Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. My trump card. The card who defines who I am. Along with Raiden's card, they make a terrifying combo. Third. Stardust Dragon. Yusei's card. A thing of beauty. A symbol of freedom and all it brings.

The dragons roar above me. They circle overhead. Suddenly, everything starts to change. The advancing auras thin out. Only a few remain, charging towards us. The dragons attack on their own. I feel the world changing around me. I catch a glimpse of the new world waiting for me. My heart beats loudly in my ear. My throat burns. I fall to my knees. Blood spurts from my mouth, forming a puddle on the ground. Shinji catches me before I fall further. The dragons continue to roar as they attack. The last aura runs away. I did it… I grip my abdomen, my leather gloves slip on the fresh blood. My vision fades. My world starts turning black.

* * *

"Most of the bleeding seems to have stopped." I hear Nico's voice above me. "Though, she might be out for a while with all that blood loss." I feel a pressure lifting from my wound. My body aches. I'm lying on the hard concrete, which doesn't help. I try to move, respond, do anything. But I have no luck, my body won't respond.

"I believe a congratulations is in order." I hear Shinji say. A faint panic appears in Yusei's aura.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asks.

"When I was carrying her back here, she was muttering about her boyfriend." Oh no. "I know Yuuka. That could only mean one person." The faint panic in Yusei's aura escalates quickly. Meanwhile, Kaoru's aura flares. I can feel his eyes glaring at me.

I hear Spanish being spoken above me. I try to make out what they're saying. Hospital. Bleeding. In that moment, I'm grateful that I spend at least some time in Duel Academy. I push myself up on one arm.

"I'm not going to the hospital." I lower myself back onto the ground. I don't open my eyes, I'm too tired for that. Everyone sounds really confused.

"She said she's not going to the hospital." I hear Nico explain.

"Didn't know she knew Spanish." I hear Ben say. He was the one just speaking in Spanish, I know that now.

"Me neither." I hear Miguel speak. I'm confused, when did he get here? He was also speaking Spanish just there.

"She learnt it in Duel Academy." Kaoru sounds angry, and very close to me. "Yuuka." He calls out to me, I turn my head in the opposite direction. "I know you can hear me." I turn on my side away from him, scared of what he's going to say.

"Yuuka, don't lay on that side. If your stab wound opens again, I swear to the gods, I'm leaving." I hear Nico sigh.

"Yuuka, why didn't you tell you have a boyfriend?" I jump up, nearly hitting Kaoru's forehead in the process. "Yuuka." His tone is stern. Fuck.

"I thought you might try to murder him, so I just didn't?"

"She looks like she's crying." I hear Takumi whisper. Both he and Shinji are trying not to laugh.

"Who is it, Yuuka?" Kaoru forcefully pulls my arm, making me stand up.

"Who do you think it is?" I feel a bead of sweat run down my forehead. I brush the hair that's fallen into my face back. The bun on my head has nearly fallen down.

" _Him_?" I glance towards Yusei subtly. I bite my lip. I see Yusei trying to avoid Kaoru's eyes. He looks at me with wide eyes, though everything else about him looks completely calm.

"Kaoru, how'd you not know they were dating?" Shinji laughs.

"Dude, I don't even think he noticed that Kenta and I have been dating the entire time?" Takumi howls with laughter. I see Kenta shaking his head.

"What?" Kaoru's entire disposition changes. He looks completely confused. There's a hint of disbelief, and a little bit of  _betrayal_? What's that about? I look at Anako who avoids my gaze and shrugs her shoulders. I freeze, remembering what she said. She told me that she loves me in front of everyone, only to find out that I'm dating Yusei. I feel sorry for her. I thought she liked Kaoru all this time. How could I have missed this? I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Here." Ben offers me his hand. I shake it. I have to blink away the tears. I did it. I conquered the entire City. No, we did it as a team. A smile breaks out on Kaoru's face. He's forgotten about that,  _for now_. I spot Felix standing beside Miguel. What even happened while I was out? Why would the former leaders of the Red Serpents and the Phantom Riders be here? Takumi throws his arm around my shoulders, grabbing Kenta with his other arm.

"We did it, guys." Takumi says.

"We did good." Kaoru adds.

"I think you mean  _great_." Kenta corrects. We all laugh. We did it. That's all that runs through my mind. So many doubts, so much trouble. It's been a long road to get here. But we got here with our own blood, sweat and tears. And it was worth every second of it.

Suddenly, Ben's phone starts ringing and my stomach drops. Is that who I think it is? Ben, in disbelief, looks between the phone and my face rapidly.

"Hello?" His voice shakes, answering the call. "Yes." He gulps. "She did." The world seems to slow down. That voice. No. "Put you on speaker, sure." Ben looks right in my eyes with an expression that tells me he's sorry.

"Yuuka!" No. Raiden's voice sounds muffled through the speaker. This isn't possible. "Congratulations on conquering the entire City. You really surprised us all." There's clear sarcasm in his voice. "What comes next, huh?" I stumble backwards. "You have the entire City in your hands. What will you do to lead it? Because you're on your own now." He laughs more to himself than anything else. "Guess I'll have to come and snatch it back. Cause remember we were going to do that together? You little  _bitch_." He curses. "Until next time then, cause I'm coming for you." The line goes dead. There's pure silence as everyone stares at me.

It sets in. What Raiden Kimura has done. He lured me into this world, make me into a warrior for his own cause, let me destroy the system once I had grown too powerful, only to try and steal it back, accomplishing his goal and getting rid of me in one foul swoop. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I unclip the cape around my shoulders. I fold it up in my arms. The first person strolls into the Daimon Area. I feel the auras of everyone here come alive. The world is waking up. I walk silently to what remains of my mask. I pick the two pieces with a clean cut separating them. I turn around and take another deep breath. I stare at the mask and cape in my hands. Shinji stands so close to me that my shoulder brushes off his arm. He hands me a lighter. I throw what's in my hands onto the ground. The fabric of the cape billows. The mask falls with a clatter. I take another deep breath. I kneel and catch the flame of the lighter in the fabric. The fire starts small. It grows, its warmth rising into the air. This is what I'm leaving behind today. I refuse to let Raiden Kimura control my life. This sense of fear that's always there. When will he come for me? I don't know. Shinji makes me stand back from the fire. Anako stands on the other side of me. She takes the mask that matches mine and throws it onto the fire. She stands next to me as the plastic melts. I sigh. I watch it burn. The last of what Raiden Kimura left behind. He will influence me no longer. No decision I make now, or ever again, will be a result of him. I will meet him without fear. He's coming for me. I don't know when, I don't know how. There is only one thing I'm certain of. After all that he's done, Raiden Kimura will not come out of it alive.


	56. Into the West

"Dear Yusei Fudo," I read out the letter placed by Yusei's computer, "I'm writing this letter because I need your help. One of your friends has come to my town to die. He has only mentioned you in passing, but I believe you're the only one who can help him. Please save him. Please take him away from this town. If things don't change, he'll be killed in this town. Please come to Crash Town to set things right. Barbara."

"What do you think?" Yusei asks me.

"This is either genuine, or a scam to get your credit card details." I shrug my shoulders.

"Yuuka, they're asking me to go there. They're not going to steal that." He sighs, with a hint of amusement.

"Who do you think it is?" I ask him.

"Well, last time I got a cryptic message like that, I saw you again." I bit my lip.

"So, I'm guessing it's Kiryu then. I was wondered where he went off to. If he stayed in the Satellite, we would have found him already." Kiryu was the only one I searched for after everything went down. I wanted to know why did everything happen like it did. There was no trace of him. I was left alone in the world then, a terrifying thought.

Yusei leaves the next morning. I'm not allowed come along since it's barely been a week since we defeat the Cardinal Dragons. My bones still ache. How I managed to not end up in hospital surprises even me. I'm able to sleep in Yusei's bed freely now, a bonus of being public now. Crow and Jack argue about the bet that they had. Crow thinks he won, while Jack thinks the bet isn't valid anymore since it was made in the Satellite five years ago. Personally, I'm tired of their shit.

* * *

"Yuuka, we need to talk." Takumi closes his apartment door behind me.

"About what?" I ask, taking a seat on the couch.

"About what Ben said." Takumi's eyes meet mine, they're almost desperate. I go to speak, but I can't find the words. I move over slightly, letting him sit down next to me. He takes a deep breath. That alone causes my hands to shake.

"What part?" Ben dragged up a lot from my past. Too much. Everyone's started hovering over me. They're worried for me, but while I do understand why, I hate feeling like I'm being coddled.

"Your attempt on your own life." Takumi's eyes flicker. "You disappeared into the Satellite without telling anyone, then you cut off contact with me for three months. Only for me to find that you tried to kill yourself?" I don't meet his gaze. Something about his chocolate brown eyes makes me face the reality about things. "Yuuka."

"It's true. What do you want me to say?" I exhale. "I'm sorry? Like that's going to change anything."

"It's not going to change anything, I know that. You're not treating this as seriously as you should be. You can't just treat this as something that happened, and move on."

"Maybe I don't want to talk about it." I answer. Some memories deserve to stay in the dark.

"But how will I know that it won't happen again?" The tone of Takumi's voice makes me meet his eyes.

"You just have to trust me." I sigh. "You don't need to worry about me anymore. I have something worth living for."

"Yusei." He sighs. "Should have figured."

"He saved me before." My eyes close. "I can't allow myself to die on him now."

"I get you." There's a warm look in Takumi's eyes. He glances to the closed bedroom door, despite Kenta not being home. "You need to talk about it. I won't force you to now. I'm guessing by Yusei's reaction that he already knew."

"We skirted around the idea of it. I'm sure he put the pieces together." I shrug my shoulders. "We've talked about it since."

"Good." Takumi nods. "You deserve someone who supports you like that, and nothing less." For a split second, Takumi's expression falters. I can't say for sure if I imagined it or not. In that split second, he looked melancholy.

* * *

The first evening comes and goes. Yusei said the trip should take at least a day.

The second day, the twins come looking for Yusei. They say they need a guardian to sign forms for a parent-teacher meeting, and since their parents are still out of town, they were hoping Yusei could fill in. They ask me to sign them since they don't know if Yusei will be back in time. It makes me smile. I'll have to go back to Duel Academy for that, but I don't mind since it's for them.

The second evening arrives and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Something is wrong, I think. I feel it. I got a glimpse of Yusei's thoughts when he was kidnapped. Ever since, we've felt a lot closer. If we concentrate hard enough, both of us can get these glimpses. I try concentrating again and hope that Yusei is too. He's dueling, I can feel it. The connection immediately fades out, I sigh. I wait until nighttime to try again.  _Kiryu._  We were right.  _Mine. Escape._  What's going on? Jack and Crow tell me to go to bed, I must be imagining things. I sigh, playing along. If things aren't better in the morning, I'm calling Security.

_Yuuka._  I feel Yusei reaching out for me. I try meditating to keep the connection this time. We can't talk directly, like with Kaoru and I can. But we're able to place messages. He escaped the mine.  _Lotten. Explosion. The kids. Kiryu._  I jolt up. I bang on Jack's door before running into the kitchen where Crow is.

"That's it, I'm calling Security. Yusei's in danger, I can feel it. We're leaving now, come on." Jack appears in his riding suit, fully expecting this to happen. I call up Ushio, at Crow's recommendation. He still owes us one, from Ghost, taking in Bruno. Now that I think about it, we're too helpful for our own good.

My dad's fiancée, Nancy, ends up being in the team of Security that comes with us. A strange coincidence considering I haven't seen her in a very long time. She texts me for the major holidays, and we text each other for birthdays and things like that. She only says hello to me. She's very career-orientated so that's exactly what I expected. Both her and my dad are, I'm surprised they find time for each other.

We arrive at sunset. I tell Security to inspect the mines. Something's going on in there. We spot a duel happening in the centre of town. Crow climbs onto the roof, wanting to get a better look. Jack and I take a back road to get to the centre of town. If we took the main road, we'd be attacked in a heartbeat. We arrive on the side street that leads directly to the duel. We have to stealth walk up. I see a woman hold a whip up to two kids. It takes all of me not to charge there and then. Jack feels the same, I see it in his eyes. I see someone point a gun at the woman.

We continue up the street. Jack and I get the last building on the row. We had to completely hide ourselves in the shadow. We hear two shots go off.

"Lotten!" The woman sounds... happy. The person holding a gun to her head must have be just shot.

"Stop it, Lotten!" I hear Yusei scream.

"Are you doing something this foul as well!?" I hear Kiryu shout. I feel strange hearing his voice again, having heard it so many times in my nightmares. "And you call yourself a Duelist!"

"I'm a realist." The man who I assume is Lotten answers.

"Why you…" There's real anger in Kiryu's tone. We're able to see both Kiryu and Yusei from here.

"Lotten…"

"It's just as Barbara says…" I hear a smirk in Lotten's voice. Barbara? The woman who asked Yusei to come out here is working with  _him_? "The winner was decided from the beginning. You were the dead ones killed by this town!" I move to see Lotten point his gun at Kiryu, I gasp. "Adios!" Before Lotten can pull the trigger, a card hits his gun. The gun flies from his hand onto the ground.

"Crow the Bullet has arrived!" I hear Crow shout from the other side of the side.

"Crow!" Kiryu exclaims.

"Yusei, you were taking so long to come home that I came to pick you up!" Crow continues. Excuse me, this was my idea.

Barbara moves, taking the kids under her arm. I nod to Jack, we start moving.

"Kiryu!" One of the little kids shout.

"Nico! West!" Kiryu's eyes widen.

"Don't come any closer! I won't vouch for their safety!" Barbara holds the whip over her head. I run and kick the whip out of her hand. She flinches, letting the kids go. I kick her again in the stomach and she falls over.

"Hurting children  _and_ my boyfriend, now that's just unforgivable." I scoff.

"Even though you're a lady, Jack Atlas won't allow you to be cruel!" Jack moves, standing beside me.

"Yuuka! Jack!" Kiryu shouts over to us.

"Yusei, don't believe Crow. I'm the real reason we're here." I roll my eyes.

"Because this is what happens when you meet someone as cursed as Kiryu." Jack finishes. Yusei gives us a thumbs up which we reciprocate. We walk over to Yusei and Kiryu.

"This is the best! Team Satisfaction is back together!" I see pure joy on Kiryu's face. Something I thought I'd never see again.

"Wow! The legendary Team Satisfaction are together again!" The young boy gasps. I hear shouting in the distance. It's coming from the mountains, looks like I was right.

"Damn!" Lotten curses. He grins before pulling out what looks like a lighter. He presses a button that causes explosions all around us. He laughs as fire spurts from all the wooden buildings. Smoke fills the air. It's very hard to see.

"Lotten!" Barbara shouts. I hear her scream as she's knocked into something.

"Outta my way!" I hear Lotten shout back at her.

"Nico and West, are you okay?" Kiryu runs away from us, looking for the children.

"Yeah." They answer. The noise of Lotten's D-Wheel fills the air as the smoke starts to clear.

"Damn!" Kiryu curses.

"Kiryu, use my D-Wheel!" Yusei shouts over to him. "Finish this duel! Defeat him in one turn!"

"Thanks, Yusei!" Kiryu nods before driving off.

We put out the fire while Kiryu is dueling. Most of the town's building are ruined. I sigh. Now they have to rebuild everything. Some buildings at the edge of the town are safe from the blast. Most of the residents are pretty safe, while any injuries seem minor, which is a miracle in itself. The residents decide to house the most injured people, the elderly and the children inside the remaining buildings. They pass blankets around for the rest of us. There's hardly any women in this town, and the only children I can see are Nico and West. I suppose the population only moved here to work in the mines, so I guess it makes sense.

* * *

I find Kiryu later that night on a ridge, overlooking the town.

"Mind if I sit?" He turns around to look at me.

"Sure, go ahead." We sit in silence for a few minutes. I look up at the stars. The night sky is brimming with them. I never imagined that sky could hold that many stars.

"Yuuka." Kiryu turns to me all of a sudden. "I'm sorry for what happened." He doesn't have to say what it is. I already know.

"It's okay. I forgive you." His brows furrow. "You weren't yourself back then."

"But it still happened." He shoots back. I sigh. I remember having this exact conversation with Yusei on the couch in the garage.

"I said the exact same thing once." Kiryu's face softens. "It's better to try and accept it, and move on with your life. I was stuck in a very bad place for a long time." I look him right in the eyes. "And you're coming to the end of that now, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am." He looks up at the sky. "Now that I know that both you and Yusei forgive me, I guess I need to find my new path."

"Turn your guilt into something better." I repeat the words I heard from my mother in a strange dream.

"What?"

"Take all those negative emotions, do something good with them." I answer. "That's what you need to do." Kiryu stays silent for a little while, I don't press him for an answer.

"I'm thinking of staying here." He finally says. "They'll need the help in rebuilding the town. Nico and West are without a father. I think I'm needed here."

"Yeah, sounds like you are." Kiryu stands up.

"It's getting late, we should probably head back." He says.

"Nah." I lie back. "You can go. I'm gonna sit out here for a while. We don't have a sky like this back home."

"I knew you'd like this sky. It reminded me of you." Kiryu smiles. "Do you want me to tell Yusei you're out here?"

"Yeah. We haven't stargazed together since back then." Kiryu nods, sliding down down the ridge. He waves to again before walking back to town.

* * *

Yusei and I end falling asleep while stargazing. We laugh about it as we watch the sunrise. It honestly made me feel like a kid again. Like I was thirteen and nothing else mattered in that moment.

We walk back into town. We get the expected barrage of jokes from the guys. Even Kiryu makes one which surprises me. Security escorts Lotten and Barbara into a van, driving them away. They leave everyone else to help rebuild the town. I smile. Seeing everyone working together gives me some hope.

"So, you're going to stay, Kiryu?" Yusei asks as we stand at the entrance to the town.

"Yes, I want to live in this town with Nico and West." Kiryu puts his arms around the kids' shoulders. He smiles down at them.

"Kiryu." Both of the kids smile back.

"Yusei. If you didn't come, I would have…" Kiryu doesn't finish his sentence, but instead shakes his head. "Thank you." He puts his hand out, and Yusei shakes it, smiling.

"Okay Kiryu, help us settle a bet." Crow says. I roll my eyes and Yusei shakes his head. "Can you confirm that Jack and I made a bet about when Yusei and Yuuka would finally get together?"

"You did, I was there." Kiryu answers. I sigh, so only I wasn't there.

"And since neither of them have hit twenty, that means I won the bet, right?." Crow gives Kiryu a look, telling him to side with him.

"That bet was made five years ago in the Satellite, it is forfeit." Jack jumps in.

"Actually…" Kiryu starts. "I said when they're eighteen. And since Yusei is still eighteen, that means I won the bet." Crow's and Jack's eyes widen like they had forgotten that detail. Yusei looks like he's trying not to laugh.

"Well, since we're leaving, the loser can't actually do what the winner wants for a week. What a shame." Crow laughs nervously.

"I think you should do what Yuuka wants for a week." Kiryu smirks. He's starting to get back to his old self. We give each other knowing looks.

"No way!" Jack and Crow say at the same time.

"I think you should." Yusei says. "She deserves it."

"You're biased!" Crow shouts back. I stare at Jack and Crow. I see their composures crack. I give them the classic pout that I give when I want them to do something.

"Fine!" Jack is the first to crack. "As long as it's nothing unreasonable." Jack always cracks first. He's a big softie underneath that hard shell of this.

"I thought it would be nice to re-form Team Satisfaction." Crow sighs wistfully. I think just us interacting again put that thought into his head.

"I already beat you to that, remember? Already conquered the City." I smirk, feeling proud of myself for once.

"Whatever. I've had enough of those crazy days." There's a hint of nostalgia in Jack's smile. "But it was fun to get back together after a long time." We stand there, smiling for a few seconds. Kiryu gives us a thumbs up, which we reciprocate. We move to our D-Wheels and drive away.

"Bye!" We hear Nico and West scream after us. Kiryu will be okay, I think. He's a lot stronger than he gives himself credit for.

"By the way Jack," I start, "for the next week, you're only allowed drink instant coffee."

"You're a mad woman!" He screams back.

* * *

"So, you haven't regained your memories yet?" Ushio sighs. Bruno and Yusei got invited in for lunch in the Security headquarters. It's more talking about the whole Bruno situation than anything else. Yusei decides to bring me along for some reason.

"I can't remember anything." Bruno answers.

"Has Security found any leads?" Yusei asks Mikage.

"We compared his fingerprints and facial photos with the database, but there were no matches." She holds a sheet with Bruno's photo and what details they know about him. Many things say unknown, with it being stamped in big red letters in the middle.

"I see." Bruno sounds disappointed.

"We'll keep investigating." Ushio turns to Yusei. "Can you let him stay with you for a while longer?"

"Yeah, leave it to me." Not like Yusei would ever disagree to that.

* * *

"So, your dad knows we're dating?" Yusei asks me as we enter the lift.

"Yeah, why else would his fiancee bow to you, saying  _please take care of her_?" I roll my eyes. Nancy can be a bit of an odd ball sometimes.

"That's true." He answers. Bruno just stares out the window inside the lift. "What is it?" Yusei questions.

"When I look into the distance, I think that there may be someone waiting for me." Bruno mutters.

"Don't get impatient. You will find the truth someday." Yusei smiles, trying to comfort him.

"I'll find the truth someday…" Bruno echoes. The lift shakes as a boom rings in my ears. The light bulbs blow out, leaving us in the dark. Thankfully, the window lets us still see.

"Bombs have been planted in the building. Evacuate immediately." A voice rings out over the sound system. The message repeats.

"Bombs?" Yusei gasps.

"Oh no!" Bruno cries. He pulls out a screwdriver from his jacket and moves towards the door. He fiddles with it, calling Yusei to help him open the door.

"Hurry, Yusei, Yuuka!" He ushers me out of the lift first, Yusei following me before Bruno jumps out.

"Those two…" Yusei points to two people sprinting down the stairs.

"Do you know them?" Bruno asks.

"Yeah. I'll call them back!" Yusei starts sprinting towards them, I follow him.

"Wait! The bombs are going to explode!" Bruno shouts after us. He needs to get used to this.

"Okay, Mizoguchi. All the locks in the basement are unlocked. Let's go." I hear a woman's voice says. The two start running away from the computer system.

"Sherry!" Yusei shouts, and they grind to a halt. Wait, this is the Sherry who Yusei dueled after he got kidnapped the first time?

"Oh, Yusei Fudo. Long time, no see. Have you decided to join my team?" I grit my teeth.

"This isn't the time for that!" Yusei's tone doesn't allow a discussion.

"We have to escape immediately! There are bombs here!" Bruno turns his head back in the direction we came from.

"That's just a scare tactic." Sherry chuckles. "There are no bombs here."

"You did this? Why?" Yusei asks.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to talk about it." Sherry starts to walk away.

"Wait!" Mizoguchi blocks Yusei's path. "You'll be punished for causing a commotion!"

"I'm prepared for that." Sherry's tone is confident as she starts walking through a door, the shutter starting to close.

"Sherry!" Yusei screams as we all start running towards the door. Mizoguchi manages to block both Yusei and I, tripping me in the process. I curse him for being so broad. He hits Bruno with something, making him fall. He manages to slide under the door before it closes.

"He escaped." Mizoguchi says. I stand up.

"Bruno, stop Sherry!" Yusei shouts.

"Understood! Leave it to me!" I hear Bruno reply.

"Oh well. She can handle him. However, Yusei Fudo…" Mizoguchi turns his back to us, walking away. He smashes a glass panel with his fist, plugging some wires into his duel disk. "I can't allow you to pass." He turns back to us, activating his duel disk.

"I can't open that door unless you have 0 life points." Yusei says.

"Correct." Mizoguchi nods.

"I can't let a duelist like Sherry commit more crimes." Yusei starts walking further away, readying for the duel. I step to the side. "I'll get past you, no matter what!"

"Duel!" They chant together, starting the duel.

"I'll go first! I draw!" Mizoguchi takes the first turn. "I summon Spirit Summit Warrior from my hand(ATK:1200)! I activate Spirit Summit Warrior's effect! I Special Summon a Level 3-or-below Warrior-Type Monster from my hand(ATK:0). Level 3 Liberated Rear Warrior tunes Level 4 Spirit Summit Warrior! When two swords cross, the loyal sword appears! Serve me! Synchro Summon! Appear, Driven Daredevil(ATK:2400)!" A Synchro Monster already? This is going to be a tough match, I reckon. He has that look about him. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn!" Yusei starts his turn. "I send Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron(ATK:700)! When a Tuner is on my field, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard(ATK:800)! Level 5 Quickdraw Synchron tunes Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog! Our thoughts combine together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Burn it up, Nitro Warrior(ATK:2800)!" No surprise that Yusei meets him in the middle. "Nitro Warrior attacks Driven Daredevil! Dynamite Knuckle!" Mizoguchi's life points drop to 3600.

"I can't allow you to pass!" Mizoguchi says, interrupting Yusei's turn. "I activate Driven Daredevil's effect! Determined Will!"

"What?"

"When a monster with higher attack points attacks Driven Daredevil, it's not destroyed and your attacking monster is destroyed! I activate the Continuous Trap, Master and Servant's Resolve! When a monster effect destroys a monster during battle, its controller takes damage equal to its attack points!" Yusei's life points drop straight to 1200. That's a nasty combo alright. "I have to take 1000 points of damage every turn to keep this card. I end my turn."

"That means your life points will run out in four turns!" Yusei grits his teeth, trying to figure out the underlying strategy.

"Sever the flesh to maintain the bones. That's the true worth of a samurai's deck!" Oh, he's one of  _those_  people.

"He's willing to go this far." I see Yusei's brows furrow. "My turn! I summon Tricular in defense position(DEF:300)! I set one card and end my turn." How could you beat this strategy? Defeat his monster by effect, I guess. Stardust Dragon would work well too with its effect.

"My turn!" Mizoguchi starts his turn. "In order to keep Master and Servent's Resolve, I take 1000 points of damage!" A sword made of light pierces Mizoguchi, bringing his life points to 2600. "Driven Daredevil attacks Tricular!"

"When Tricular is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon Bicular from my deck(DEF:200)!" Yusei manages to get another monster on his field, keeping him safe for the time being.

"I activate the trap, Reversal Sword! On the turn that your monster is destroyed in battle, a monster with a lower Level than the destroyed monster is destroyed!" Nevermind. "Both player take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points." Yusei's life points drop to 1000, while Mizoguchi's now stand at 2400. "I set one card and end my turn."

Alarms start sounding. I look around for a security camera. Nothing. A projection comes on with Ushio leading a squad of Security officers into the building. "Bomb squad, hurry!" Oh gods, I'm going to get arrested all because I got stuck in a lift. "We're arresting the criminal! Don't fall behind!" Mizoguchi takes his phone out of his pocket.

"It's started." He says.

"What is it?" I hear Sherry's voice over the phone.

"Sherry, Security is coming. Hurry up and prepare to escape."

"Understood, but I couldn't analyse it yet because there's someone in my way." She answers. Bruno is doing his job the, I guess.

"But…" Mizoguchi interjects.

"I can't give up." I hear her say.

"Understood." Mizoguchi says, hanging up.

"You're planning to continue the duel?" Yusei asks. "Even if you stop me, it's only a matter of time until you're caught!"

"That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Mizoguchi closes his eyes. "I must allow her to solve the mystery of that card."

"Card?" There's a hint of disbelief to Yusei's tone.

"I'll tell you. Sherry's parents were murdered by Yliaster over this card. She wishes to learn about this card in order to exact her revenge."

"You're here to get closer to Yliaster? To get revenge?" Yusei's brow furrows.

"Please understand how she feels." Mizoguchi bows his head.

"If you really care about Sherry, why don't you stop her?" Yusei asks.

"I can't tell you." I sigh.

"Then, I'll use of all my power to get past you! My turn!" Yusei starts his turn. "I summon Debris Dragon from my hand(ATK:1000)! Due to Debris Dragon's effect, I Special Summon a monster with 500-or-fewer attack points from my graveyard! Return, Tricular(ATK:300)! When I successfully summon a monster, I can Special Summon One Shot Booster from my hand that turn(ATK:0)! Level 4 Debris Dragon tunes Level 1 One Shot Booster and Level 3 Tricular! Wishes cluster together to form a new shining star! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" He had the same idea that I had.

"Stardust Dragon." Mizoguchi echoes.

"That's right." Yusei nods. "Stardust Dragon negate and destroys card-destroying effects. If I attack Driven Daredevil, its effect will destroy Stardust Dragon. But Stardust Dragon will negate the card-destroying effect and destroy Driven Daredevil." Why is Yusei explaining his strategy? Is he playing a mind game? "Then, due to Master and Servant's Resolve, you will damage equal to Driven Daredevil's 2400 attack points. You'll have 0 life points."

"Try it." Mizoguchi taunts. "If I use my set card to stop Stardust Dragon's effect and then use Driven Daredevil's effect to destroy it, you'll take Master and Servant's Resolve's effect. You'll have 0 life points." This is definitely a mind game.

"A single moment will determine the winner." Yusei answers. This is why this game is flawed. The better player can lose in an instant.

"Exactly." He nods.

"Stardust Dragon! Shooting Sonic!" Yusei declares his attack anyway. He knows he's going to win then, he has a secret strategy.

"I activate the trap, Standoff!" Mizoguchi interrupts as his life points drop to 2300. "I activate Driven Daredevil's effect! A monster with greater attack points can't destroy it in battle and your attacking monster is destroyed!"

"By releasing Stardust Dragon, the destruction effect is negated!"

"Too bad, but Standoff prevents you from releasing your card! I won't take a step back! Take this! Determined Will!" Here's the moment of truth.

"The Counter Trap, Space Jump!" Yusei's tone is stone cold. "I remove Stardust Dragon from play, and you take damage equal to its attack points!" Mizoguchi's life points drop to 0, the door opening behind him.

"You may pass." Mizoguchi says, bowing. Yusei starts walking towards the door, I go with him. "But please, let her go."

"I never said that I would hand you over to Security." Yusei turns his head back.

"What?" Mizoguchi gasps.

"Let's go. You're the only one who can stop Sherry." Yusei smiles.

"The analysis result is…" I hear Bruno speaking as we walk into the computer room. "No way!"

"This is a lie!" Sherry shouts. "The analysis is wrong! There's nothing special about this card? That's impossible!" I feel a strange aura coming from the card. It shines, filling the darkened room with light. Sparks of electricity fill the air as a wind whips up.

"Sherry!" Yusei shouts.

"Bruno!" I scream over the noise of the wind.

"Miss!"

"What's this?" A bright orb comes from the card. I don't know what compels me, but I start running towards it. I feel it calling me.

* * *

When the light fades away, I'm in a vast white space. A light grey ceiling and floor stretch out as far I can see, there doesn't seem to be an end to it.

"Where are we?" Yusei asks.

"I don't know." Bruno answers.

"Why do I get the feeling I've been here before?" I squint slightly. It must have been a dream, I think. But still, it's an eery feeling.

"We're supposed to be in the computer room." Sherry comments. We start looking around us. I blink. A strange mechanical shape appears. It's shaped like a comma and it spins around very slowly. A weird feeling bubbles up inside me. I can feel it calling me. I take a step forward. My head starts throbbing at my temples. I hear a woman's scream. I can feel it staring at me. Staring? That aura. Is that thing  _human_? Impossible. Its aura is too metallic. No. It is, something inside me says.

* * *

I wake up on a beach. I'm almost blinded by the bright lights of the City at night.

"Where are we?" I hear Bruno ask. I get onto my knees. I look up and see Mizoguchi carrying Sherry.

"You've regained consciousness." He says.

"Mizoguchi, you saved us?" Yusei asks, standing up.

"No." He answers. "When I regained consciousness, we were already here." He looks down at Sherry in his arms. "She's exhausted. Yusei Fudo, I owe you. We'll eventually meet again." He nods before walking away.

"What did we see inside that light?" Yusei ponders.

"I don't know." Bruno says. "But maybe he's the one who helped us escape."

"Him?" Yusei raises his eyebrows.

I turn to look at the City's lights, shining like a rainbow against the waterfront.  _Him_? What was that thing? Could it actually be a human? I felt it staring at me. I sigh into the open air. Yliaster. Sherry wanted to analyse a card that was a clue towards Yliaster. Does this all lead back to Yliaster?


	57. With or Without You

Takumi is finally getting his grand finale night out. He's so excited, bless him. He says that everyone who helped us can come to the pre drinks, while only the real squad, read Team Liberation, can go to the club. Apparently, this also includes Shinji. It's his night out and he can what he wants, his exact words. The guys let us use the garage of Poppo Time for that, which is a godsend. Because having that many people in our house would give Kasumi a heart attack. I've counted fifteen people, do you know much food that is? Too much that  _I_  have to make.

There's a lot more talking in the garage now. People are starting to arrive. I pull another tray out of the oven full of snacks. I pour them onto another plate that I borrowed off Kasumi for the night. That should be the last of it. I go into the garage. Miguel and Felix just arrived. Apparently, they came sweeping in on Miguel's D-Wheel on the other side of the Daimon Arena to help out. That's what Kaoru told me anyway. That may explain why Felix knew about Team Satisfaction, given that Miguel is from the Satellite.

"How much food did you make?" Takumi asks as he stuffs tortilla chips into his mouth. He has a red cup in his hand, he's already starting drinking. "I think you made too much."

"It's Yuuka, she always makes too food." And so has Shinji apparently. "You got my lunchboxes, right?"

"You need to teach Reika how to cook, you know that?" I sigh.

"I burnt microwave popcorn yesterday. I shouldn't allowed near the kitchen." Reika butts in. She shakes her head, sighing.

"How are you doing, Yuuka?" Felix asks me. "Scared all of us when you came back covered in blood." Oh yeah, passing out due to blood loss and or exhaustion, couldn't tell you which though, is never fun.

"Once I rested, I was fine." I shrug my shoulders. "I got the increased healing factor so it's all good."

"And the ability to manipulate auras too, from what I've heard." He adds.

"What?" I raise an eyebrow.

"When you went berserk, you manipulated both Ben and Jasper's auras. That's what it's called. I'm surprised you didn't know you could do that." Felix raises a hand to his mouth.

"Oh really?"

"We actually have the same gift." He smiles. "If you want help in controlling it, just ask me. You're the only other person I know who can manipulate auras in that way. I remember Kenta said he can also manipulate auras? But he can only change their mood, is that right?"

"Something like that." I explain. "It's like once he lets go, they're closer to their original state, but obviously it depends."

"Interesting." He mutters. "Are Ben and Jasper showing up?" He asks.

"Nah." I answer. "Ben's working tonight, apparently."

"Shame. I've heard they're fun at parties."

"Yuuka!" Miguel comes up to me next, I swear I'm never getting a break. I've finally got a cup of rum and cola, Takumi was hoarding the vodka to himself so I settled for this. "Right." He starts. I notice how much of a baby face Miguel has despite his strong jawline. I think it's the bright blue eyes. "I thought I recognised you, y'know. I figured it was cause we're both from the Satellite." I nod, seems reasonable. Wait. No, that's not it. "Turns out, I may have kidnapped you before?"

"Fear Unit!" Crow butts in on the conversation, waggling his finger.

"That's the one! I wasn't actually the one who did it, but I was made stand outside of the room. Which is why I can claim that Jack Atlas has punched me in the face." I see Jack look over in our direction and squinting.

"Small world, isn't it?" I laugh.

"When you're in the gang circle, it is!" Miguel laughs as well, returning to his conversation with Kenta.

"Jack, you do realise you're drinking coffee at pre drinks?" I ask, pouring my second cup.

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Nothing wrong, just pointing it out." I shake my head.

"I'm pretty sure you've poured double the alcohol that's supposed to be in there." He gives the typical older brother look. I shush him.

"How's the instant coffee working out for you? You're almost done with your week of listening to whatever I say." That's literally the only thing I've asked him to do all week, and surprisingly, he's actually sticking to it.

"There are worse things." He says, plainly.

"Like having no coffee at all, exactly."

"Yuuka!" Emiko calls out to me next. "This food is so good, oh gods." She takes another little pie into her hands.

"I literally just stuck all of this into the oven like," I look at the time on my phone, "two hours ago."

"Give me the brand of these, they're so tasty." Emiko and Anako have stood together the entire night, looking like they're ready to go out too. Even though Emiko technically  _is_  old enough, she probably wouldn't be allowed in given the fact that she looks like she's fourteen.

"Going to a bar, actually." She corrects me when I ask. "They have lots of board games, we should all go sometime." She pulls Anako's arm who immediately turns bright red. Oh yeah, she told me she loved me in front of everyone only to find out that I'm dating Yusei. Boy, it sucks to be her right now. I'm struck speechless.

"I made this great joke earlier. We were talking about the cocktail sausages. Emiko said she's not really fan of sausage. Then, I went  _I like all kinds of sausages, except man sausage_." I nearly spit out my drink laughing.

"I have screenshots which contradict that statement." Shinji butts in.

"I mean, relatable though." I laugh.

"I also have screenshots." Takumi leans in, not taking his arm off its spot around Kaoru's shoulders. I shake my head. I did not need to be reminded of my relationship with Raiden Kimura at this exact moment in my life. Kaoru has also started drinking. Honestly, I'm not surprised. He's with  _Takumi_  of all people, who is known to have a constant vodka supply.

"Yo." I greet Crow and Aki who have been talking the entire night. They've cracked the wine open between themselves, though I notice that both Emiko and Felix miraculously have glasses of it too.

"Hey! Great party we got going on here." There's a slight blush on Crow's cheeks.

"The food's actually pretty good for store bought stuff." I notice a range of food on Aki's paper plate.

"The party's only just started for me. I'm not drunk enough yet. Oh how I wish I had a low tolerance for alcohol." I sigh, finishing another drink.

"Have fun." They laugh.

"Shots!" I'm literally dragged by Shinji back over to the table as Takumi has managed to get his arm off Kaoru long enough to pour a line of vodka shots. Takumi forces the small plastic cup, which I'm pretty sure he brought himself, into my face. "One, two, three!" Nothing beats the refreshing burn of vodka. Kaoru's face starts scrunching up.

"Baby's first shot." Shinji pats Kaoru on the back, who is currently looking like he wants to die.

"Dude, seriously? How have you never had a shot?" I'm actually surprised at this point that Takumi  _isn't_  drunk.

"Help me." Kenta says to me.

"He's not drunk yet." I laugh.

"I know, but Kaoru's nearly there." He shakes his head. "I don't know what he's like drunk. You're not drunk thankfully."

"You first met me when I was drunk." I say.

"It wasn't a good first impression, though." Kenta sighs. "It was the time I went to a club with Takumi, it was literally just as we started dating. He's drunk, walks face first into a streetlamp. You and Shinji are also drunk. You lose your shit laughing and then walk into the same pole."

"Classic story." I laugh. "But we're friends now and that's what matters."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You consider us friends?" I put my hand on his shoulder. "I feel so blessed right now." I wipe away a fake tears from my eye. Kenta rolls his eyes and walks back to talk to Miguel. Wait. Has he even talked to Takumi all night?

"Hey Yuuka." Shinji knocks into me with his shoulder, I nearly go flying. "Shit, sorry." Which isn't a surprise given that I barely pass his shoulder and how broad and muscular he is. Impressive, in fact. That's why he has a large range of plain black shirts to show this off. "How you doing?"

"Not drunk."

"Yet is the keyword here." He laughs. "But no seriously, are you okay? You went through a rough patch a couple of months ago, and I want to know that you're not doing anything…  _y'know_."

"Gods no." I answer. "I'm in a much better place." I meet Yusei's eyes across the room, he smiles at me. I smile. I think the alcohol is getting to me since my cheeks heat up.

"Speaking of…" Shinji trails off. He turns around. "Emiko! I won our bet!"

"Oh Yuuka, why couldn't you have waited a few months?  _Geez._ " Emiko sighs, handing Shinji a note. I don't get to see how much it is, shame.

"You're buying me a drink." I say as Shinji puts his wallet.

"Sure sure." He pats my back. "But I am glad you're doing okay. You deserve to be happy." He smiles.

"Thanks." I swear in that moment I could have cried. Not because I was sad. No, because I was so happy for it all to be over. I deserve happiness. I deserve the world and nothing less. Each and every one of us does.

"Except Raiden." Kaoru leans into our conversation. "Fuck that guy."

"Okay, pal, you're drunk." Shinji takes the drink, which I assume is rum, from him. "Listening to your thoughts again?" I nod, rolling my eyes. "In case you're wondering why I got invited on this night out, I was supposed to be the fourth member of Team Liberation." Wait what? "Takumi asked me the same time he asked you, just before the Fortune Cup. He didn't have a clear answer from you, but I said no. Once I left Black Flag, I knew I wanted to settle down." I see Reika tilt her head, looking in our direction. "He only let Kaoru join you because he needed a replacement for me." He glances over at Kaoru and Takumi, still talking. "I think it worked out in the end. He's a good kid, Kaoru."

"Yeah, he is." I answer. Shinji's a lot wiser than his years would claim. "So you knew the entire time?"

"Yeah, why else would Yusei and Aki been near the Red Serpents' territory that day?"

"And that's why I felt Raiden's aura, it was you." I waggle my finger, the pieces finally clicking in my head. "Did you tell Anako?"

"Nah, she figured it out by herself, Kaoru just confirmed it." He shakes his head. "Anyway, I think your boyfriend wants you." Shinji nods his head in Yusei's general direction.

"I have too many friends." I shake my head as I move to stand beside Yusei. "Sorry, we've taken over your garage. Once Takumi is drunk, we'll probably out of here."

"It's okay." He says. "We're celebrating." He knocks his coffee cup off my plastic cup. "Cheers."

"You're such a dork, I love you." I smile. "Cheers."

"I love you too." Yusei's face lights up in that split second, and I feel so lucky to be there in that moment.

I spend a good amount of time just talking with him. Crow calls us antisocial but I don't care. His face is so cute, I just can't help it. Bruno joins us for a while. We start talking about the WRGP since it's getting ever closer. Then, of course, they start talking about the engine which obviously makes me zone out for a while. I'm surprised how easy it is this time. Then again, it's probably the alcohol. Reika inevitably joins us when she hears the mention of an engine. She only ever talks this much if it involves D-Wheels in some regard.

"Hey Yuuka, do you know where Takumi's gone?" Kaoru asks me.

"Wasn't he with you?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Nah, he disappeared all of a sudden." Shinji explains.

"How do you lose Takumi, seriously?"  _Especially when he's like this_. I look around the room. Miguel has gone back to talking to Felix. Kenta is… "Where's Kenta?"

"Well that explains that." Shinji sighs. I search for Kenta's aura. He's outside. Wait. Something's wrong. His aura… It's…

"Come on." I say to them, moving towards the open shutter door. It's dark outside already, which surprises me. The slightly cold breeze feels nice on my skin. We walk up the ramp into the square.

"X-Saber Souza attacks Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Kenta just stands there as the attack hits and the duel ends.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Nothing." Kenta says, not meeting my eye. An obvious lie if I ever saw one. Takumi says nothing. He just stares at Kenta.

"Kenta." I say with more urgency. He just looks up at the sky, not replying.

"Come on!" Takumi claps his hands together. "Are we going out or not?"

"I'm not going." Kenta immediately replies. My eyes widen. What's going on here?

"Sure, I'm already tipsy, why not?" Shinji answers.

"I'm not going if Kenta's not going." Everyone turns to look at me. Takumi grits his teeth.

"What about you, Kaoru?" Takumi turns to look at Kaoru.

"Uh." He looks between Takumi and I. "Sure, I guess."

"Look after it, will you?" Takumi throws his duel disk to Kenta, who catches it. He leaves without saying much of a goodbye. Shinji and Kaoru turn back to look at us. They look as confused as I must do right now.

"What's going on?" I ask Kenta once they're out of earshot. Kenta says nothing, walking away. He doesn't turn back to look at me. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Kenta's shoulders start shaking as he walks away.


	58. Legacy

"Strange." Bruno says as Yusei and I enter the garage with our cups of coffee. "Why does the engage simulator stop working when I put in the decroncer?" Bruno's moved next to the Blackbird on the floor with a laptop, running tests on it.

"I assume that's bad." I say. Error flashes up on the screen of the laptop.

"What's with this circuit?" Bruno asks, running the test again. The same error comes up again.

"What is it?" Yusei walks over to him.

"There's a strange circuit." He explains.

"Strange circuit?" Yusei echoes.

"Yeah, it has something to do with this part." Bruno points to a spot in the middle of the Blackbird.

"What's this?" Yusei squints at the screen. I think he needs glasses, working too much with screens probably.

"Crow did say someone else programmed the Blackbird, we should ask him anyway." I say as Crow walks in the door, yawning. "Speak of the devil."

"You guys!" Crow runs over to Yusei and Bruno. "What are you doing this time?"

"Hey, Crow." Bruno greets Crow like he's not freaking out about them hurting his precious Blackbird. "When I was adjusting the program, I found a strange circuit."

"Strange circuit?" Crow raises an eyebrow. If I hear that said again, I'm going to pull my hair out.

"No matter what I do, I can't access it any further." Bruno scratches his chin.

"Don't fiddle with it too much and break my machine." Crow glares slightly. "I can't work without Blackbird."

"Don't worry, Crow. We won't do anything crazy." Yusei smiles. Crow gives me a look and I just shrug my shoulders.

"Let's investigate a little more." Great, they're already in full D-Wheel mode.

"Let's mute and insert the deck." I take a seat at the desk, sighing. I take my book from where I kept it behind the monitor.

"We'll have to first free the potential." Bruno explains. Crow just facepalms. Ushio and Mikage walk in the open shutter door.

"Excuse me." Ushio says, getting the attention of everyone else.

"Ushio and Mikage?" Another favour, I suppose.

"Do you have a second, Crow?" Ushio points behind him. Crow nods, walking out with them. I just shrug my shoulders and keep reading.

* * *

We decide to visit Martha's later on. Crow seems out of it, ever since he came back in.

"Crow." I go up to him, while he's still standing next to the Blackbird. He explained that Security found out that Pearson was dueling before his death. That person used a very rare card called Blood Mefist, which had the ability to deal real damage even when the duelist wasn't a psychic. "Pearson?" I ask.

"Yeah, he left what would become Blackbird to me before he died. I owe him everything. It was soon after Kiryu was captured. Without any goals, I lived aimlessly. Then, one day…" He trails off, before sighing. "Some scumbags from the factory dropped off one of the kid's dads. As usual, Satellite's factory used him up. They literally threw him on the ground,  _in the rain_ , exhausted. Only to throw some loose change at him, since they took most of his money  _transporting_  him. I was so angry. They kicked my ass. Then, Pearson showed up. Him and his friend dueled those scumbags, and they ran with their tails between their legs. That's how I met Pearson. Pearson gathered and took care of Satellite children, just like me. He taught them job skills so that they can be self-independent." He explains. Man, sounds like a great guy. "I thought this was great. Pearson and I decided to work together. Pearson gave me hope to live again. With the first-ever engine created in the Satellite, we would surprise the citizens of the City. Pearson's D-Wheel development excited me. But one day, I came home to find the place on fire. I wasn't able to save him, Yuuka." There's real pain in Crow's eyes. "He left me the kids and a prototype engine. After I lost Pearson, I didn't know what to do. All I could do was steal cards to make the kids happy. Bolger is great. He took over Pearson's legacy and built a D-Wheel factory in the former Satellite. All I'm doing is atoning for my past actions. Because I failed to take over Pearson's legacy." He clenches his fists. I see him try to force the tears away. I place my hand on his back.

"That's not true. You're continuing Pearson's legacy wonderfully." I comfort him.

"Me?" He seems in disbelief.

"Crow! What are you doing?" His kids starts shouting over at us. "Crow, hurry up and come over here! Crow!"

"Look at the smiles on their faces. You're the one who gave them smiles of hope. There's no need to feel ashamed. You should travel the path that you believe in." Crow turns to me.

"Yuuka…" I smile, smacking his on the back.

"Come on, they're waiting."

* * *

The next day, Crow brings us to Bolger & Company. Apparently, this guy knows who killed Pearson, but will only tell him if Crow wins their duel. However, if Crow loses, he has give up that Pearson supposedly gave him. But Crow doesn't have that card apparently, which makes me suspicious.

"I think this guy is hiding something." I say. "Why would he only spill once he loses his duel that his business is resting on?"

"He'll have nothing to lose." Yusei answers.

"I think this guy did it." I say. Everyone just shrugs their shoulders. Bruno sets the computers up so we can hear the audio feed from the course. The perks of dueling on a testing ground.

"You're fine with this?" Bolger asks, as they get ready to start.

"Of course. I'll continue Pearson's legacy in my own way." Crow answers.

"Fine. Let's battle, Crow!" Bolger puts his helmet on. "Speed World 2 set! Riding Duel!"

"Acceleration!" They both chant, starting the duel. Bolger uses the boosters on D-Wheel to accelerate far ahead of Crow, leaving a trail of flames behind him.

"What unbelievable acceleration!" Jack gasps.

"That's why it's the newest D-Wheel model." Yusei nods.

"I want one." I pout, hoping Yusei gets the hint. Crow accelerates, nearly catching up to Bolger but it's not enough.

"I took the first corner, so I'll go first. My turn!" Bolger claims the first turn. "I summon White Warrior - Fog the Treasure Shield in defense position(DEF:2000). I set two cards and end my turn."

"2000 defense points…" A tough hurdle alright, that defense is as high as they come for monsters under Level 5. "My turn!" Crow starts his turn as the Speed Counters increase for the first time. "When monsters are only on your field, I can summon this card without releasing another monster! I summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(ATK:2000)! I can Special Summon this card when a Blackwing is on my field! Appear, Blackwing - Bora the Spear(ATK:1700)! Due to Sirocco the Dawn's effect, I can concentrate the Blackwing's power on Bora the Spear(ATK:1700-3700)!"

"Good!" Jack says. "It has more than the opponent's 2000 defense points!"

"Not good enough, Crow." Bolger interrupts Crow's turn. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Whiteout! Whiteout negates all effects that your monsters give to other monsters(ATK:3700-1700)!" I hear Crow gasp. "Each individual monster isn't dangerous, but they create power by calling for their teammates. That bond is the Blackwing deck's special feature. So, I will sever that bond! Now, your Blackwings are isolated. As long as Whiteout is active, Blackwings can't rely on their teammates nor give them power!"

"This is bad for Crow!" Yusei exclaims.

"Yeah, he's been completely shut down." I sigh.

"I end my turn." Crow grits his teeth.

"My turn." Bolger starts his turn. "I summon White Warrior - Hail the Iron Hammer(ATK:1800). Then, I activate the Continuous Trap, Sacred Arrow! At the End Phase, each player takes 400 points of damage for every one of his monsters that was destroyed that turn."

"400 points for every destroyed monster?" Crow gasps.

"Hail the Iron Hammer attacks Bora the Spear! Hammer Attack!" Bolger declares his attack and Crow's life points drop to 3900. "When Hail the Iron Hammer destroys your monster in battle, another monster on your field is destroyed! At the end of your turn, you take Sacred Arrow's effect." Crow's life points shoot down to 3100.

"Crow!" Jack exclaims.

"Bring it, Crow! It's your turn!" Bolger taunts him.

"My turn!" Crow declares as their Speed Counters increase to 3. "I set one card! Then, I summon the Tuner Monster, Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield in defense position(DEF:1800)! I end my turn!" Defensive, huh? Can't really afford to do anything else, can he?

"My turn." Bolger starts his turn. "I summon the Tuner Monster, White Warrior - Snow the Rope Dart(ATK:0). This card gains 100 attack points for every card on the field. There are seven cards on the field. Therefore, it gains 700 attack points(ATK:0-700). Snow the Rope Dart can attack your directly! Go!" Crow's life points drop again, leaving him at 2400. "Since the direct attack was successful, White Warrior - Fog the Treasure Shield's effect activates. One of your Spell or Trap cards is destroyed. Do it, Fog the Treasure Shield!" I hear Crow tut. "You didn't think I would notice, Crow? How many times have we dueled?"

"This duel is between two people who know each other's' strategies." Yusei says as I nod.

"I end my turn." I hear Crow sigh.

"My turn!" Crow begins his turn again. "I summon Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame(ATK:1800)! Level 2 Mistral the Silver Shield tunes Level 4 Shura the Blue Flame! Dark power, infuse the gigantic wings to create a divine wind! Synchro Summon! Rage, Blackwing Armed Wing(ATK:2300)!"

"Good! He successfully Synchro Summoned!" Jack comments.

"Armed Wing attacks Snow the Rope Dart! Black Charge!" Crow declares his attack.

"Monster effect activates! When Snow the Rope Dart is the attack target, it returns to my hand." Bolger interrupts.

"In that case, I'll attack Fog the Treasure Shield!" Crow continues. "When Armed Wing attacks a monster in defense position, it gains 500 attack points(ATK:2300-2800)! If Armed Wing's attack points are greater than your defense points, you take the difference as damage!" Bolger's life points drop to 3200.

"The Tuner avoided destruction, but he still destroyed one monster." Jack says.

"Better than nothing." I shrug my shoulders.

"Since he destroyed a monster, Sacred Arrow's effect will deal 400 points of damage at the End Phase." Almost forgot about that for a second.

"I set one card and end my turn." Crow says as Bolger's life points sink to 2800. "Bolger, I can't afford to lose this duel! In order to find out who killed Pearson!" I have a feeling you're looking at him, Crow.

"I see. You're very determined. Then, I'll show you! My turn!" Bolger starts his turn again. " I summon White Warrior - Snow the Rope Dart again(ATK:0)! Level 4 White Warrior - Snow the Rope Dart tunes Level 4 White Warrior - Hail the Iron Hammer! Born from the heart's darkness, descend in exchange for my soul! Synchro Summon! Pulse, Blood Mefist(ATK:2800)!"

"Blood Mefist?" Crow and Yusei echo.

"Why does he have that?" Jack questions.

"Bruno, find a way to record this audio feed." I say, Bruno nods back at me. I'll turn this asshole into Security myself if I have to.

"Bolger, why do you have that card? No way!" Crow gasps. "Did you kill Pearson? Why? You admired Pearson!"

"To build D-Wheels, of course." Bolger answers. I grit my teeth.

"D-Wheels?" Crow echoes.

"That's right." Bolger confirms. "As you already know, that was our dream. D-Wheel development stopped due to lack of money. But one day, a rich man from the City came and offered a large sum of money. But he refused!" Crow gasps. "That's right. To finish building the D-Wheel wasn't what was important to him. It was to leave his name as Satellite's first D-Wheel developer! He couldn't allow it! In the end, he couldn't allow City people to snatch away his achievement! That's why I dueled him for the blueprints. I don't regret what I did! D-Wheel mass production was only achieved because I defeated him! Former Satellite citizens can now enjoy Riding Duels. I was able to make D-Wheels for them. Even if I'm labelled a killer, I'll protect the factory!" Yeah, protect it from  _prison_. "If you understand, hand over Black Feather Dragon! Along with Blackbird, I know that Pearson gave you Black Feather Dragon! Give me Black Feather Dragon! Now!"

"I don't believe you. I don't believe that Pearson was like that!" That's not the truth. Pearson sounded like a great man, that can't be the full story.

"Then, I must acquire Black Feather Dragon by defeating you in this duel. Even if that means you'll end up the same as Pearson!" Did Bolger just threaten to  _murder_  one of my best friends? Okay, it's settled. I'm beating him up before I turn him in. "I activate Blood Mefist's effect! Once per turn, you take 300 points of damage for every card on your field!"

"What?" Crow asks before his life points drop to 1800.

"Then, Blood Mefist attacks Armed Wing! Cursed Blood!" Crow screams as the attack hits him, leaving him with 1300 life points.

"What?" Jack mutters.

"Is he taking real damage?" Yusei asks.

"I'm feeling pain? My body feels like it's being torn apart. This is…" I hear Crow mutter.

"Blood Mefist's power!" I answer. "A card that deals real damage, regardless if that person is a psychic or not." Everyone in the room gasps.

"Sacred Arrow's effect activates at the end of my turn." Bolger declares as Crow's life points decrease again, leaving him with 900. "Crow, you still have time to surrender! It's not worth risking your life for someone like Pearson!"

"I'll never surrender! I believe in Pearson! My turn!" Crow starts his turn with his determination intact. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! I remove 7 Speed Counters to draw one card from my deck!" Crow's Speed Counters are set back to 0. "Alright! I summon the Tuner Monster Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak in defense position(DEF:1500)! I set one card-" He is interrupted.

"At this moment, Blood Mefist's effect activates!" Bolger declares. "When you set a Spell or Trap card, you take 300 points of damage!" One of the wings falls off the Blackbird as his life points hit 600. That's below the safety line in Speed World 2, shit.

"That was so much power that it damaged Blackbird!" Yusei exclaims.

"Crow can't physically take much more of this!" I sigh in desperation. I can't do anything from here.

"Crow, give up or you'll die!" Bolger shouts.

"Then, try." Crow sneers. "I end my turn!"

"I see. Then, I have no choice. My turn!" Bolger starts his turn. "Due to Blood Mefist's effect, you take 300 points of damage for every card on your field. That's a total of 900 points of damage!"

"Crow!" I exclaim.

"I activate the trap, Down Burst! All face-up spell and trap cards on your field become set!"

"What?" Bolger mutters.

"I activate another trap! Delta Crow - Anti Reverse!" Crow continues. "When a Blackwing monster on my field is faceup, all set spell and trap cards on your field are destroyed! I have two fewer cards! The damage decreases to 300 points!" That leaves Crow at 300 life points. He's safe for now. I sigh in relief.

"Good." Yusei nods. "By destroying Whiteout, the bond between Blackwings is restored."

"You're surviving, but your life is like a candle in the wind." Bolger says. "I summon White Warrior - Sleet the Morning Star(ATK:0)! By releasing this card, when Blood Mefist destroys a monster, you take damage equal to half its attack points." Oh no.

"That means if a monster is destroyed, Crow takes 1400 points of damage and loses!" Yusei exclaims.

"Blood Mefist attacks Kochi the Daybreak! Cursed Blood!" Bolger declares his attack.

"Crow!" Jack cries.

"By sending Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the destruction of one Blackwing monster!"

"He managed to dodge it." I sigh in relief. The door to the room opens and Crow's kids come running. Ginga runs towards Bruno, asking him something. The other kids run up to us at the windows, getting their banners out with Crow's name on them. I see Saiga standing next to the door, I shoot him a wave which he reciprocates.

"But it'll be over next turn." Bolger says. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Damn." Crow curses. "If I set a card, I'll take damage and my life points will become 0. Is it impossible to defeat Blood Mefist?"

"Crow! Over here!" They shake their banners in the window.

"Crow, can you hear me? We're with you." Ginga shouts into the microphone next to Bruno.

"Do your best, Crow!" The other kids shout.

"Everyone…" Crow seems taken aback. I must admit, I am too. "I want to protect their hopes and Pearson's legacy!" I get a weird feeling in my stomach again. "The mark of the Crimson Dragon!"

"That card!" I hear Bruno exclaims. He projects his screen in front of us. It's a picture of Black Feather Dragon.

"What's this? What's going on?" Yusei asks.

"Black Feather Dragon? I get it. That's why Pearson refused the money! Pearson, I understand how you felt! My turn!" Crow starts his turn with renewed determination. "I summon Blackwing - Bora the Spear! Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak tunes Level 4 Bora the Spear! Black whirlwind, your secret thoughts appear on your wings! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Black Feather Dragon(ATK:2800)!" Yusei's and Jack's Signer Marks start glowing too.

"Our marks!" Yusei exclaims.

"Can it be?" Jack questions. "That's the Signer's fifth dragon!" Something's telling me that what Jack is saying isn't completely right.

"Black Feather Dragon finally appeared!" Bolger gasps. "But this battle is already over. I activate the trap, Synchro Rivalry! When you Special Summon a Synchro Monster, my monsters can't be destroyed in battle that turn!"

"I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton!" Crow continues. "When I have two or more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck! Then, I send one card in my hand to the graveyard! I send Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite to the graveyard and set one card!"

"If you do that, you'll take damage from Blood Mefist and lose!" Jack shouts. Wait.

"Blood Mefist's effect activates!" Bolger declares. "When you set a spell or trap card, you take 300 points of damage!"

"Crow!" The kids cry.

"Look at Black Feather Dragon's effect!" Crow points up at his dragon.

"What?" Bolger gasps.

"Damage Drain!" Crow declares. "When I take non-battle damage, I lower Black Feather Dragon's attack points by the same amount to negate it(ATK:2800-2500)!" The bottom set of the dragon's wing turn black, accented with red.

"What? Negate damage?" Bolger questions.

"By taking 400 points of damage and returning a card on my field to my hand, I can Special Summon Zephyros the Elite from my graveyard(ATK:1600)!" Crow continues. "But due to Black Feather Dragon's effect, I negate that damage(ATK:2500-2100)!" More and more of Black Feather Dragon's wings are becoming black.

"It lost more attack points!" Kokoro exclaims.

"What are you planning to do, Crow?" Bolger asks.

"When this effect Special Summons Zephyros the Elite, I can set a card to destroy it! Since I set a card, Blood Mefist's effect deals damage, but Damage Drain negates it(ATK:2100-1800)!" Crow keeps going. "Once again, I return a card to my hand to Special Summon Zephyros the Elite(ATK:1800-1400)! Then I set a card to destroy Zephyros(ATK:1400-1100)!"

"Black Feather Dragon's wings are turning black!" Jack comments.

"Yeah." Yusei nods. "It's using its own body as a shield."

"The pain shaves away its body." Bolger says.

"Bolger, you should've known that Pearson wanted to do more than build a D-Wheel. He wanted the kids to learn that they could do anything without having to rely on the City's power! That's why Pearson refused their help!" Crow shouts at Bolger. I knew it.

"Did I have a misunderstanding?" Bolger mutters.

"That's right!" Crow keeps shouting. "Remember what Pearson said! Black Feather Dragon absorbs the pain to darken its wings(ATK:1100-700)! This dragon is the same as Pearson! He carried the burden of Satellite's sadness and pain(ATK:700-400)! Pearson wanted to free Satellite by building Satellite's first-ever D-Wheel! That's why... Black Feather Dragon flew down to Pearson(ATK:400-0)!"

"Black Feather Dragon is completely black!" Ginga exclaims as the dragon passes into front of us.

"Bolger!" There's real anguish in Crow's voice. "Black Feather Dragon's black wings are the pain Pearson received from you! Feel the same pain! I activate Black Feather Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I return the amount of attack points it lose due to this card's effect and all your monsters' attack points decrease by that amount! Black Burst(ATK:0-2800/ATK:2800-0)!"

"When Black Feather Dragon was absorbing pain, it was storing power." Jack says. That sounds like Crow, turning pain into power.

"Black Feather Dragon attacks Crimson Mefist! Noble Stream!" Crow declares as Bolger's life points hit 0, winning him the duel.

"Hooray! Crow won!" The kids cheer beside me.

"You did it, Crow." I mutter more to myself than anyone else.

"Pearson, you really cared about the kids. I was the one blinded by fame, not you. I'm sorry." I hear Bolger say over the sound system. At least he feels guilty. He's still going to prison though.

"Bolger." Crow mutters.

* * *

Crow buys a bouquet of flowers for Pearson's grave. They built a cemetery in the new Satellite. They allowed people to submit names of people known to have died in the Satellite, either during the Zero Reverse or afterwards. There must be thousands of graves. We walk in silence to Pearson's grave. I don't know if my mother's name is here. It happened just after everything with the Dark Signers, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to submit it. Crow lays the flowers on the stone slab on the ground, just underneath the name  _Robert Pearson_.

"Pearson, Bolger turned himself in." Crow kneels down at the foot of the grave. "Your feelings touched him. Black Feather Dragon... I'll continue your legacy! Pearson…" We stand there in silence. It strikes me how lucky I was to leave the Satellite. Hundreds upon hundreds of stone slabs lined up one after the other. Each one is another life lost. Crow stands up after a few minutes and goes to leave.

"You guys go ahead. I'm just gonna take a walk." I say, giving a slight wave.

"Yeah, we'll see you guys at the garage." Yusei stays with me, no surprise there. Crow and Jack say goodbye to us, leaving soon after.

Yusei doesn't say a word as we walk all along the path. I look for her name. I'm astounded how many graves don't have a last name. Each one is a child without a parent, gone too soon. What was even the point of all this? All this waste of life just to unleash the Earthbound Immortals, in order to lose an ancient war. It turns my stomach at the thought of it.

"Yuuka." Yusei points at a stone slab on our left in the row nearest to the waterfront. We keep walking down the path until we can turn and make our way back. I sit in front of the grave, Yusei takes a seat beside me. My eyes keep running back and forth over the name.  _Kyoko Hattori_. That's what the stone slab says. It lies to me. My mother was not buried here. I never knew what happened to her body. Was she cremated? Was just she just flung onto a mass grave like she never mattered? I sigh, Yusei rubs his hand on my back. I sit there just staring at the grave for a while. Just thinking about life, death and my place in the universe. For the first time in a very long, I cry over the mother who left me too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the show flip-flops on whether Crow built his D-Wheel or not, so here, he got the prototype engine from Pearson but everything else, Crow built himself.


	59. Flair

"You need me to have designs by _tomorrow_?" I sigh.

"Yeah, Bolger & Company offered to design and make our Riding Suit for us, alongside our new engine, after everything that happened." Yusei explains. "We convinced them to let you design. They want you to submit the design by tomorrow so they can be finished at the same time as our D-Wheels."

"At least you don't have to make them." Crow says.

"I literally just finished making suits for Kaoru's team." I sigh again.

"They'll pay for you for the designs." Jack adds.

"I'm on it."

* * *

I pull an allnighter for the first time in a very long time, willingly of course. I don't count trying to sleep but not actually getting any, because that happens too often. Yusei sits beside me since he doesn't have to work on anything since Bolger & Company is going to be doing all the work for them. I work on Yusei's first, his request.

"Don't bother making me new a design." Jack says. "You can't improve on perfection."

"Okay, I'll just submit the same design and get another one made." I answer. "The leather's starting to wear out, isn't it? Also, we need to put our team logo on it."

"I guess so." He gives me down his riding suit so I can get the details right.

I work through some different designs with Yusei. I keep some elements from his normal outfit. The colour scheme, the pads, the black trim, the design on the shirt. I can't make my mind with the jacket. We agree that we need to get rid of the flared jacket, something to do with aerodynamics or something Yusei says. I draw a more fitted jacket with a zip, no.

"We could just crop the jacket." I say, drawing it out. The image of the outfit suddenly appears in my mind, seemingly from nowhere. "I feel like we need to raise the neckline of the shirt, and a zip."

"That looks a lot better." Yusei says, kissing my temple.

"You good with that?" He nods. "I'll touch it up later, I just want to design Crow's first."

"Do you want to give Crow the fitted jacket with the zip then?" Yusei asks.

"That's what I was thinking. I could match the jacket's colour to his Blackbird delivery or his regular one."

"Match what to what?" Crow asks, coming into the kitchen.

"Yellow or brown jacket?"

"Hmm, brown I guess." He answers.

"Cool." I add long black gloves since his regular gloves don't go with a jacket with sleeves.

I sigh, adding more details. Yusei keeps talking so my sanity remains intact. I'll get samples from the fabric store tomorrow for reference. I throw my sketchbook away from me at about six in the morning, groaning. I lean on Yusei, who laughs.

* * *

"Wow! You actually built it!" Bruno exclaims as Rick, the vice-president of Bolger & Company, shows us around the factory floor.

"By increasing Moment's rotation radius, we increased its output by 150%." Rick explains as we watch the new engines being installed in the D-Wheels. "It's due to our company's newest techniques. We already installed Yusei and Bruno's revised program." He walks us over to the computer systems. "This is the result of the simulation test."

"Woah." Crow says.

"We can now use our program to its fullest potential." Yusei smiles.

"You're really doing this for us?" Crow turns to Rick. "Since your president was arrested, aren't you having tough times?"

"Yes." He sighs. "Due to that incident, no one wants to work with our company. But the president wanted to make amends with you."

"You're not firing Bolger? He won't be out for awhile." Jack comments. He'll probably be retirement age by the time he gets out.

"It's true that the president committed a crime, but none of the employees hate him." Are you sure? He committed  _murder_. "Everyone knows that the president truly loved D-Wheels. We'll protect this company until he finishes atoning for the past."

"I see." Crow responds. I'm just more confused.

"Thank you, Rick. We're now much closer to fulfilling our dream." Yusei and Rick shake hands.

* * *

We arrive back in the garage, new engines and new riding suits included.

"Yusei!" The twins burst into the garage. "Is it true that the new D-Wheels are ready?"

"Yeah, it's true." Yusei answers.

"Huh?" Rua says, noticing their new suits.

"We also have new riding suits. Looks good, right?" Crow smirks. I smile, I'm glad he likes it.

"Anyone can look good with the right clothes." Jack hums. "It would be pathetic if you wore your usual shabby clothes on the brightest stage."

"Stop being arrogant when you always wear the same clothes!" Crow responds.

"Unlike your clothes, mine is a riding suit!" Jack exclaims.

"To quote Jack himself,  _you can't improve on perfection_." I made air quotes with my hands. Yusei shakes his head at the memory.

"5D's? Is this the team name?" Ruka notices the logo on Yusei's jacket, which I made a couple of days ago once they came up with the name.

"Yeah." Yusei answers.

"Jack chose the name without us." Crow sighs.

"It's much better than your idea,  _The Fountain Courtyard Friendly Alliance_." Jack replies.

"I'm pretty sure that was a joke." I say.

"What does 5D's mean?" Rua blinks slowly.

"Since it's 5D's, there are five Ds." Well said, Bruno. "Umm, D for Devil." Bruno starts counting on his hands. "D for Destroy. D for Dead Heat. D for Dark. And umm... D for Daisuki Bruno?" Jack punches him without a second thought. "I was only kidding."

"5D's is this!" Jack holds up his Signer mark.

"The five marks of the Crimson Dragon." Ruka says, pulling up her own sleeve.

"That's right." Yusei nods. "The marks of the Crimson Dragon forged our bond."

"I don't have a mark, but Ruka's mark was the reason I met all of you." Rua says. I never mentioned the mark I saw on Rua's arm after his duel with Luciano. I don't want to get his hopes up, then again, I'm not even sure that I didn't imagine it.

"You and Ruka together count as one person." Jack answers.

"Hey!" They scream back at him.

"I'm guessing Yusei and I count as one person then?" I say.

"Yeah, you spend enough time together anyway." Crow answers.

"Rude." I reply.

"My name isn't included! Let's name the team  _Bruno and the 5D's_!" Jack swings another punch at Bruno. "I said I was kidding."

"I honestly don't know how you  _didn't_  see that coming." I sigh.

"I think it's an excellent name." Aki says.

"I agree." I nod. All of the Signers put their hands in a circle, their marks showing off. Aki and Yusei look back at me. I put my hand in, as well as Rua and Bruno.

"Starting today, we're Team 5D's!" Yusei says as we all cheer.

* * *

"They've made the matchups for the preliminaries?" Rua asks as we arrive in the stadium where the WRGP will be held for test runs.

"Yeah." Yusei nods.

"The preliminaries are in a league format." Ruka comments, looking at screen with all the matchups.

"32 teams are participating. They're divided into eight blocks, and they battle in league format in each block. The top two teams in each block make the finals. The surviving teams battle in a tournament format." Aki explains.

"Since there are four teams per block, we can advance to the finals if we win twice." Bruno says as our block in brought up on the screen. I sigh in relief, we're not in the same block as Kaoru's team. So, we won't have to face them yet.

"Hey, is our first opponent Team Unicorn?" Rua stares at our block.

"Team Unicorn?" Ruka echoes. "That name is familiar."

"We met them at the tournament party." Rua explains.

"Oh yeah! Them!" Ruka exclaims. They were the ones who introduced themselves to Yusei.

"Team Unicorn won the Atlantis Tournament." Yusei moves his hand to his mouth. "They're said to be the frontrunners for winning this tournament."

"I wish they didn't put that team in our block." Rua sighs.

"Hmm, it doesn't matter if they're tournament favourites. We'll crush everyone who stands in our way!" Jack proclaims.

"Jack is right." Yusei responds. "If our goal is to win the tournament, we'll eventually have to battle against powerful teams."

"It's just a matter of when." I say. "We would have to face them eventually."

"That's true, but…" Rua huffs.

"Yusei, it's time to practice." Bruno starts walking.

"Right. Crow, Jack, let's go." The guys leave us.

"What practice are they doing?" Ruka asks.

"It's a practice run of the track, so they can get used to it before the competition." Aki explains. "Let's watch from the stands."

* * *

"Team 5D's will now use this lane for practice." A voice drones over the sound system. "All other teams are prohibited from using it."

"Is that…" Ruka trails off, looking down at the front of the stands.

"Ushio!" Rua calls out as we walk down towards him.

"It's you guys. Did you come to cheer for Yusei and the others?" Ushio asks.

"Yeah." Ruka answers.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Rua squints at Ushio in the standard Security uniform. Yeah, I've only seen in a shirt and slacks given his high position.

"Look for yourself." Ushio looks back to the track. "Even though each team is scheduled at a different time, all duel lanes are still full for practice. Autopilot isn't allowed in this tournament, so there are many accidents. They recruited me to work because they don't have enough people to help."

"I see."

"Look!" Aki exclaims. "They're coming out!" We wave at Yusei, Jack and Crow as they pass us. A screen of them driving is projected in front of us.

"They seem to be doing well." Ushio comments.

"Yeah, it's because we revamped their engines." Bruno exclaims. "It's on a different level than the previous vehicles."

"Oh, then I'm looking forward to battling them again." Ushio smirks to himself.

"Battle them again?" Bruno echoes. Bruno and Aki look at each other, confused.

"Well, I'll go patrol somewhere else. Say hi to them for me." Ushio mounts his D-Wheel.

"Ushio, are you also participating in the WRGP?" Bruno asks him.

"That's a secret." He laughs before setting off. "See ya!"

We watch as the guys make laps around the course. Their new level of speed is impressive. Maybe if I pout hard enough, they install the new engine in my D-Wheel after the WRGP. The voice comes up on the overhead saying that their practice team is up. Yusei and Jack turn into leave the track but Crow keeps going. Team Unicorn turn out. They pass the stands, which is followed by the sound of a crash.

"What?" Rua asks, looking between us and the track.

"What happened?" Ruka asks immediately afterwards.

"It looks like an accident." Bruno grits his teeth. I hope Crow is okay. I hear shouting further down on the track. Yusei and Jack go down there. They seem to calm down. After a while, Crow and Jack join us in the stands.

"All because you just  _had_  to crash into them." Jack says once they explain what happened. Strange how Yusei was the one who got challenged to a duel by this Andore guy, and not Crow. Something's up here, and considering his teammates aren't standing near us at all, I'm nearly certain of it.

"Speed World 2, set on." The automated voice drones from the D-Wheels which wait in front of us to start.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" Yusei and Andore chant at the same time, starting the duel. A screen showing their duel is projected in front of us again.

"Alright! That's a good start! He gets to go first!" Crow cheers as Yusei takes the first corner.

"Here I go! My turn!" Yusei claims the first turn. "I summon Max Warrior(ATK:1800)! I end my turn."

"My turn!" Andore starts his turn. "I summon Playful Possum(ATK:800)! I activate Playful Possum's effect! If you have a monster with higher attack points, I can destroy my card! Fake Die!"

"What?" Yusei mutters.

"Huh?" Rua raises an eyebrow. "He destroyed his own card."

"Due to its destruction, I can Special Summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest from my hand(ATK:2600)!" Andore declares. "When a Beast-Type monster on my field is destroyed, I can Special Summon Green Baboon from my hand by paying 1000 life points!" That move leaves him with 3000 life points.

"Now I understand." Yusei says. "You destroyed your monster so that you can quickly summon a high Level monster."

"Go, Green Baboon!" Andore shouts. "Attack Max Warrior! Hammer Club Death!" Yusei's life points drop down to 3200.

"That guy fights well." Jack comments.

"I set two cards and end my turn!" Andore finishes his turn. How will Yusei respond to that?

"My turn!" Yusei starts his turn as their Speed Counters increase to 2. "I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton from my hand! When I have two or more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck. Then, I send one card in my hand to the graveyard! I activate another Angel Baton! I summon Junk Synchron(ATK:1300)! When I successfully summon this card, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-below monster from my graveyard! Appear, Speed Warrior(DEF:400)! When a Tuner Monster is on my field, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard(ATK:800)! Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog and Level 2 Speed Warrior! The roars come together to form an echoing arrow that pierces the sky! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Archer(ATK:2300)!"

"Incredible." Aki says. "He used both of the monsters he discarded due to Angel Baton's effect to Synchro Summon."

"I activate Junk Archer's effect!" Yusei continues. "Once per turn, Junk Archer can remove a monster on your field from play! Dimension Shot!"

"He doesn't have any monsters on his field!" Crow cheers.

"Go, Yusei! Attack him directly!" Rua cheers Yusei on, waving his fist in the air.

"Junk Archer attacks you directly!" Yusei declares. "Scrap Arrow!"

"I won't let your attack succeed so easily!" Andore shouts. "I activate the trap, Battle Instinct! When I take a direct attack, I can Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my hand! I call forth Nimble Momonga(ATK:1000)!" Oh no, not that monster. Emiko had it in her deck once upon a time. I  _hated_  that thing.

"What?" Yusei mutters. Andore still loses life points, dropping to 1700.

"Yusei had taken the lead!" Rua shouts.

"But at this moment, Nimble Momonga's effect activates!" Andore continues. "When Nimble Momonga is sent to the graveyard due to battle, I regain 1000 life points!" Andore's life points shoot back up to 2700. "Then, I can Special Summon two cards with the same name in defense position(DEF:100/DEF:100)!" A very annoying effect that I forget many times before being cruelly reminded.

"I set one card and end my turn." Yusei grits his teeth.

"Green Baboon, which was removed from play due to Junk Archer's effect, returns at the End Phase(ATK:2600)." Andore smirks.

"Wasn't Yusei supposed to be in the lead?" Rua questions, blinking at the screen.

"He hasn't lost that many life points, and he also has three monsters on his field. It seems like the flow of battle has changed." Crow talks about Andore.

"Yusei is at a total disadvantage at the end of the turn!" Ruka exclaims.

"Yusei, you attacked carelessly. Your card playing skills have flaws." Okay, that's it. He's insulted Yusei. I'm gonna fight this Andore guy myself. "Here I go! My turn!" Andore starts his turn as their Speed Counters increase again. "I activate Playful Possum's effect! When its own effect puts it in the graveyard, I can Special Summon it during the Standby Phase! Resurrect, Playful Possum(ATK:800)! I tribute Playful Possum and Nimble Momonga to Tribute Summon Behemoth, the King of All Animals(ATK:2700)!"

"Behemoth?" Yusei gasps.

"I activate Behemoth's effect!" Andore declares. "When Behemoth is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can return the same number of Beast-Type monsters in my graveyard to my hand as the number of monsters that I tributed! I return two Nimble Momongas! I switch Nimble Momonga on my field to attack position(ATK:1000)!"

"This is very bad." Crow mutters.

"Yusei will lose if he takes those three attacks." Jack comments. "Yusei only has Junk Archer on his field, which isn't enough to defeat Andore's three monsters!"

"Yusei!" The twins scream out for him.

"Yusei must have a strategy in mind!" Crow is right. We're talking about Yusei here.

"Battle!" Andore declares. "Green Baboon attacks Junk Archer! Hammer Club Death!"

"I activate the trap, Chain Arrow!" Yusei interrupts. "During damage calculation, Junk Archer gains 500 attack points(ATK:2300-2800)."

"What?" Andore exclaims as he loses more life points, leaving him at 2500.

"Since Junk Archer has Chain Arrow's effect and destroyed a monster in battle, your monster loses 1000 attack points until this turn's End Phase(ATK:2700-1700)!" Yusei smirks.

"I can no longer attack." Andore huffs.

"Alright!" Bruno cheers. "Junk Archer isn't destroyed and Behemoth lost attack points!"

"He can't destroy Junk Archer with his two remaining monsters!" Ruka exclaims.

"You did it, Yusei!" Rua cheers.

"Chain Arrow's effect ends and Junk Archer's attack points return to normal(ATK:2800-2300)." Yusei says.

"Yusei, I said that your card playing skills had flaws, but I was wrong!" Okay, I don't have to fight Andore. For now. "I take back what I said, and I'll apologise with this! I activate the trap, Beast Burial Ritual! I destroy one monster on my field and send it to the graveyard to draw two cards! I destroy Nimble Momonga!"

"He destroyed his own monster again." Ruka furrows her eyebrows.

"That means…" Bruno's words trail off.

"When a Beast-Type monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon Green Baboon from my grave by paying 1000 life points(ATK:2600)!" Andore declares, his life points dropping to 1500.

"It appeared again!" Crow exclaims.

"This is bad!" Jack comments. "Junk Archer's attack points have already returned to its original points!"

"Battle! Green Baboon attacks Junk Archer!" Andore's first attack leaves Yusei with 2900 life points. "Next, Behemoth attacks you directly! Take this, Yusei!" His life points drop again to 1200. "I set one card and end my turn. Chain Arrow's effect vanishes, so Behemoth's attack points return to normal(ATK:1700-2700). I was planning to finish you this turn, but you managed to survive. Now, it's your turn!"

"It's time for your counterattack, Yusei!" Rua shouts, but I doubt that's possible in this exact moment.

"My turn!" Yusei starts his turn as their Speed Counters climb to 4. "I summon Shield Wing in defense position(DEF:900)! I set two cards and end my turn."

"He's not going to counterattack?" Rua's brows furrow.

"He can't easily counterattack in this situation. Can't you tell by watching?" Ruka sighs.

"That's right. He has to survive for now."

"That." I say. "Or he didn't get the right card."

"Yusei shouldn't be struggling because he's used to battling my power deck!" Jack proclaims.

"It means that his opponent is very powerful." Bruno counters.

"Don't worry!" Crow gives a smile to Rua. "Shield Wing is a powerful defense monster that can survive two attacks per turn! Even if he summons a third monster next turn, he can't attack Yusei directly!"

"It's time to finish this duel. My turn!" Andore starts his turn. "I summon Nimble Momonga(ATK:1000)! I send a Beast-Type monster in my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon the Tuner Monster Egotistical Ape(ATK:1200)! Egotistical Ape's Level increases by the Level of the monster that was sent to the graveyard(LV:5-7)!"

"A fourth monster!" Aki exclaims.

"Shield Wing has a mere 900 defense points! If three monsters attack, it will be destroyed!" Jack grits his teeth.

"Yusei will lose if he takes a direct attack from a fourth monster!" Crow grips the railings tight.

"Oh no!" The twins scream.

"I activate the trap, Shield Coat!" Yusei interrupts. "When you Special Summon a monster who's stronger than my defending monster's defense points, my monster's defense points are doubled(DEF:900-1800)!"

"Alright!" Crow cheers. "Now, the two monsters other than Green Baboon and Behemoth can't destroy Shield Wing!"

"Level 7 Egotistical Ape tunes Level 2 Nimble Momonga! When the blood of the wild is spilled, earth breaking power will awaken! Awaken! Synchro Summon! Mother Nature's Power, Naturia Leodrake(ATK:3000)!" He has the same Synchro Monster as Emiko? Interesting. Wait.

"3000 attack points!" Aki exclaims.

"He immediately reacted to Shield Wing's increased defense points and changed his strategy!"

"The sign of a good duelist." I answer Crow.

"But Shield Wing can stop up to three attacks!" Jack responds.

"Battle!" Andore declares. "Green Baboon attacks Shield Wing! Behemoth attacks next! I'm not done! I attack for a third time with Naturia Leodrake!"

"Shield Wing was destroyed!" Ruka gasps.

"Don't worry." Bruno says. "He has no monsters left to attack with."

"It's too early to feel safe!" Andore smirks. "I activate the trap, Howl of the Wild! When my Beast-Type monster destroys your monster in battle, you take 300 points of damage for every Beast-Type monster on my field!"

"What?" Yusei mutters.

"There are three Beast-Types on my field! Take 900 points of damage!" The effect leaves Yusei with 300 life points. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Yusei is quickly down to 300 life points!" Rua cries.

"And he doesn't have any monsters." I can hear the worry in Ruka's voice.

"He's incredible!" Crow exclaims.

"Andore is exceptional!" Jack adds.

"My turn!" Yusei starts their turn as their Speed Counters reach 6. Only 6? This duel is going a lot slower than I realised. I suppose that happens when you have two talented duelists facing off. "I summon Debris Dragon(ATK:1000)! When I successfully summon Debris Dragon, I can Special Summon one monster with 500-or-fewer attack points from my graveyard in attack position. Come, Shield Wing(ATK:0)! Since I have 2-or-more Speed Counters, I activate Speed Spell - Vision Wind! I Special Summon one Level 2-or-below monster from my graveyard! Come, Speed Warrior(ATK:900)!" I sigh in relief, knowing what's coming next. "Level 4 Debris Dragon tunes Level 2 Speed Warrior and Level 2 Shield Wing! Wishes cluster together to form a new shining star! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!"

"Stardust Dragon!" Rua cheers.

"Battle!" Yusei declares. "Stardust Dragon attacks Green Baboon!"

"Has you lost your mind?" Andore shouts. "Green Baboon has higher attack points."

"I activate my trap, Synchro Strike!" Yusei continues without answering him. "Stardust Dragon gains 500 attack points for every Synchro Material Monster(ATK:2500-4000)!"

"What? 4000 attack points?" Andore exclaims.

"Shooting Sonic!" Yusei declares, leaving Andore with 100 life points.

"He did it!" Rua cheers, waving his fist in the air.

"He has more life points than him!" Ruka smiles.

"Yusei has more than 4 Speed Counters." Aki gasps. "If he has a Speed Spell in his hand, he can use its effect to make Andore have 0 life points!"

"Aki, you're starting to understand." Crow smiles, turning to Aki. "That makes you a D-Wheeler!" Aki returns the smile so I send Crow a cheeky wink and I swear I see him flush a little.

"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" Yusei declares. "For every Speed Spell in my hand, you take 800 points of damage!" Time over flashes everywhere. "What?" Yusei gasps.

"Practice is over. The duel is suspended." Andore smiles. "That was nice dueling." He says to Yusei once they dismount their D-Wheels in front of the stands. He puts his hand out to shake Yusei's, which Yusei returns.

"Yeah, you too." He says.

"We'll settle this during the tournament. Bye." Andore walks back to his D-Wheel and drives off with his team.

"Yusei!" Ruka shouts over to him.

"You were so close!" Rua whines. "You almost won!"

"No." Yusei answers. "He still had a set card on his field. Knowing him, I doubt that card was a bluff."

"So he still had another strategy ready?" Aki grits her teeth, a rarity for her.

"Most likely." He nods.

"If you continued the duel, you could have been in trouble." Bruno says.

"Team Unicorn is a fearsome opponent." Yusei looks around at us. "They might become our greatest rival."

"Hmm, I'm stronger than them!" Jack scoffs. "I'll crush their quick attack power deck!"

"Yeah, we can't lose!" Crow pumps his fist in the air. "We'll show them our strength!"

"There's still something that confuses me." I say. "I remember looking up Team Unicorn after the party. I could have sworn that Andore used a different deck."

"You must be imagining things." Jack pats, more like smacks, me on the deck. I sigh. They're up to something.

* * *

"It's been awhile since we've done something, just the two of us." Aki smiles, taking a sip of her tea.

"I know right? If I hear the guys talk about the engine one more time, I'm throwing myself out a window." Aki gives me this scolding look. Any statement that implies harming myself in some way gets me this look. I give her this awkward look back, she just sighs. Those jokes are just part of the package with me.

"I don't think it's that bad." She replies.

"You don't live with them." I roll my eyes.

"You do live with Kasumi and Kaoru, remember?"

"I barely spend time there anymore, honestly I'm just lazy." I shrug my shoulders.

"And Yusei is at Poppo Time." She raises her eyebrows at me as if to fluster me.

"You're right." I nod. "I don't know about you, but I live for cuddles."

"I wouldn't know." Aki throws her eyes up and shakes her head.

"But is there someone you want to cuddle you though?" I put my hand in front of my mouth and lean forward.

"I don't know." She says after hesitating for a few seconds.

"You hesitated." She meets my eyes for a second before avoiding them.

"I mean." She starts but her mouth twists and she stops. I start nodding slowly, egging her to continue. Her eyes widen slightly. Her shoulders slump as she sighs. "I'm not sure how I feel about Crow anymore."

"Care to elaborate?" I raise my eyebrows and grin. Aki's eyes shift awkwardly.

"Well, we've constantly talking for a while now."

"Oh I've noticed." Aki gives me this look for interrupting her. "Okay, I'll shut up."

"Anyway…" She smiles, shaking her head. "I feel like there's something  _there_  between us. Like I feel we can just be ourselves around each other, and we can talk about anything. It's just so nice, like I really don't have that with anyone else. Except you of course." She puts her hand out as if apologise, I just nod my head. "But the thing is that I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship quite yet. I'm still not really over what happened with Divine. I'm not sure how I would react if I put myself in that situation again. I think I  _like_  him, but I don't know what to do? What do you think, Yuuka?"

"May I just say that your relationship is super cute, first of all." She flushes slightly. "I get what you mean. I felt like that for a long time with Yusei. I technically liked him for years before we got together, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind for a long time. But I just waited it out and then it just happened naturally between us. I think that's what you should do, if you want my opinion."

"That's what I thought too." Aki hums. "The best thing is, I think he likes me too." Her cheeks fill with rouge as she smiles.

"No way." I say as if Crow hasn't made this obvious for months. A woman walks into the coffee shop. A walking goddess if I ever saw one. Her long, dark hair flies behind her as she walks. Her vivid green eyes stand out against her dark skin and high cheekbones. "Aki, that is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life."

"Yuuka, you can't say that."

"Aki, I'm incredibly biromantic, we've been over this."

"No, I meant you're in a relationship, you shouldn't be saying those type of things. I'm bi too, I've told you that." She rolls her eyes. "I thought you said Emiko was the prettiest girl you had ever seen, before that it was me."

"I'm very gay and I love girls." I smack my fist on the table. "But no one will top Yusei as best looking human being alive."

"Oh I know." Aki laughs. "I'm noticing you have a type. Dark skin, dark hair and bright eyes."

"I'm weak okay?" I lay my head on the table. Aki just keeps laughing as I make faces expressing the multitude of feelings that I tend to have when this stuff comes up.


	60. How Far We've Come

We find a spot in the harbour so we can do laps away from the busy highway. It strikes me that this used to be Red Serpent's territory, not too far from where Yusei and Aki were attacked all that time ago. Yusei is currently doing laps while Aki and I have the stopwatch. Yusei finishes another lap and Aki stops it.

"That was your fastest time!" She shouts to Yusei. I hear another D-Wheel approaching us. To my surprise, it is neither Jack nor Crow. Instead, it's a D-Wheel that I don't recognise.

"Looks like you're doing well." The driver opens their visor.

"Sherry!" Aki exclaims. I should have figured from the giant mass of blonde hair.

"Since we're in different blocks, we won't meet in the preliminaries. I came to say hello." Sherry looks me up and down in my riding suit and winks at me. Should have figured, I think to myself. Everything about her screams  _I am very much a lesbian_.

"So you're also entering?" Aki asks. "I figured you would have."

"There are suspicious people among the participating teams." Sherry tell us. "They could be Yliaster's assassins. Be careful."

"Sherry!" Yusei calls as he stops beside Sherry's D-Wheel. "Stop putting yourself in danger." First, causing Security HQ to shut down after a bomb threat. Now this, she must be a busy woman.

"I told you that there are things I must do, even if it means facing danger." There's an intense look in Sherry's eyes. "Someday, I want to talk to you in detail about what we saw." She glances at me. Does she know what that was? "Stay safe through the preliminaries, Yusei!" Sherry drives off, leaving us in complete silence.

* * *

My walk through the graveyard is dead silent. Then again, it's the middle of the morning, and I'm in one of the less visited spots, away from the giant memorial. I lay white carnations at the foot of my mother's grave. I kneel just in front of them. I thought maybe I'd be able to say something if I was alone. But nothing comes. It has been too long. Twelve years now since she left me. I've grown up and I've dealt with things in my own way. I wonder what she'd think if she saw me now. I don't know enough about her to say. I put my hand to my neck, where the choker she'd given Kasumi as a gift normally sits. Maybe some things just can't be put into words. I hope wherever she ended up, she's proud of me. I press gloved fingers to my lips before touching the gravestone. I stand up, letting my eyes trail over the grave one final time. My hands fidget. It feels wrong. I should have so much more to say other than I miss you. But after twelve years, memories start to fade. The sound of her voice has vanished from my mind. I can't imagine the smell of her as she held me close. Her face blurred ever so slightly. My mother stands as this impressive figure in my mind. A symbol of strength, dignity and beauty. I wonder if that's really true. I can say nothing about her. Kasumi only speaks of her in hushed tones before the tears spill and she has to stop. I wonder if I should just move on. You can only grieve so long.

I start walking away from the grave. I take my time, I decide to walk the long way. I spot Reika kneeling in front of a grave. You'd almost miss her as her short, light turquoise hair almost blends into the sky. She doesn't notice me until I take a seat beside her.

"Hello Yuuka." She says, moving her eyes back onto the grave in front of her. "I haven't talked to you properly in a while."

"Not really since Christmas."

"And it's the end of summer, I thought we were friends." She chuckles to herself.

"I've been busy, and so have you, if Shinji is to be believed." I answer back.

"That's true." She smiles. "Has Shinji told you that we've been looking into opening up our own garage?"

"I know you've always wanted to do that."

"Yeah, it would be nice." I look down at the name of the grave.  _Mari Hoshakuji._  It's familiar to me, but I can't quite place my finger on it. "My sister." I notice Reika's face falling.

"But you told me she died long after the Zero Reverse." I mutter, not wanting to say anything to upset her even more.

"We couldn't afford a grave after the fire, with us having to move and my mom being put in a wheelchair." Reika shrugs her shoulders. "We decided to put in Mari's name for this place, they didn't ask."

"I'm sorry." I honestly don't know what to say.

"Don't be. I get more than enough sympathy from everyone. You get sick of it after a while." She sighs. "Everything happens for a reason, she was wanted somewhere else."

"I suppose you're right."

"Yeah." There's a sad smile on her face. "You gotta be happy. You don't know when your time's gonna be up." She turns to me. "If you ever need anything, I'll always be there for you, okay?"

"I know that." A small smile creeps onto my face. "You always have."

"Except when I hated you." Reika laughs.

"Cause you thought I was stealing your best friend."

"I didn't realised at the time that Anako  _liked you liked you_ , okay?" She makes this face, as if cringing a little bit at old memories. "Speaking of Anako, everyone's excited about the suits you sent them. They're meeting at Shinji's place tomorrow to try them on. They want to try them on together for the first time." She rolls her eyes. "They're all such dorks, I swear."

"Let them have their fun." I say. "Tell them to send me a picture in case I need to fix something."

"I will." She nods before standing up. "Come on. I hate lingering here."

* * *

Crow and Jack are going to Martha's as something of a good luck gesture. I decided to join them, maybe some of it would rub off on Yusei.

"Martha, we came to visit." Crow shouts as we walk in, carrying groceries that had gotten for her before meeting up with me.

"Oh my!" She puts her hands to her face. "It's nice for you to come, Crow, Jack  _and_ Yuuka! Now that's a surprise!" She invites us into the dining room. She brings us cups of coffee. I know she specifically bought it in for us. Even in her old age, she still cares for us too much.

"Yusei couldn't come, I assume?" Saiga sighs.

"Yeah, he's busy with getting ready for the WRGP." Crow explains. "He wants to finish testing the new engine by today."

"How dare he keep working and not visit Martha before the preliminaries!" Jack scoffs. "I'm surprised you even came." He turns to me. "Given you two can barely spend an entire day apart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him, furrowing my eyebrows.

"You should learn from him!" Martha looks pointedly at Jack. "I heard from Zora that you can't keep a job!"

"I have no comment regarding that issue." Jack closes his eyes. Crow laughs.

"How are the kids? They're not here?" Crow asks, turning around in the chair.

"C'mon, you guys!" Martha says, looking at the door. Crow stands up as the kids come into the room, clearly hiding something.

"Did you forget to say hi to me?" Crow bends over, getting close to their level. The kids move apart slightly. They unfold a banner with a picture of Crow on the Blackbird drawn onto it. "Did you make this?" He asks, taken aback.

"They're so much trouble. They stayed up late to make it." Martha explains. I bite my lip, trying not to explode from the cuteness overload.

"We're going to bring this and cheer for you, Crow!" Kokoro smiles.

"Crow, do your best!" Taiga cheers.

"You better win!" Ginga says with a wide grin. The kids hold the banner up, and Crow takes it into his hands.

"He doesn't look like me at all." I hear the tears threatening to spill in his voice. "I look more like…" He takes all the kids in his arms, despite the fact his arms don't reach all the way. "Thank you!" Crow sounds like he's definitely going to cry. Jack hums.

"Jack, when you start acting like an adult, I'll make one for you." I laugh as Martha gives Jack a thumbs up.

"I don't want one!" He insists. Everyone starts laughing at his expense.

"Are you jealous?" Crow starts teasing Jack.

* * *

The next morning, Yusei and I head downstairs. Bruno's cooking breakfast for himself. Crow's aura is nowhere to be found, which is unusual considering he's not in work.

"Hey Bruno, do you know where Crow is?" I ask him.

"Crow left for early morning practice. The highways are empty at this time. He was full of vigor." He answers.

My phone buzzes. Emiko sends me of a picture of her team together in their riding suits that I made them. I smile. Worth the effort, I think. Anako, apparently, had the idea of using similar colour schemes throughout the outfits. There's lot of reds and blacks, with some pinks and purples thrown in for some variety. They look really well together. Then again, they all look good in those colours. I chose very different outfits for each of them. Despite that, there's a sense of uniformity about them. Underneath the photo, there's a caption.  _Team Delta! Ready to kick ass and take names!_

* * *

Yusei's phone rings and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I throw on my riding pads. Crow crashed, he thinks that he broke his arm. We find Crow and Aki, sitting in a hallway, waiting to see a doctor. A cast already on his arm. Was she the first person he called? We get called inside the office. The doctor puts up the x-ray, showing us the damage.

"There's a crack in my shoulder bone?" Crow cries.

"Yes, it will take a month to heal." The doctor explains.

"A month?" Jack echoes.

"The preliminaries are in three days. You won't heal in time." Aki mutters under her breath. Crow clenches his fist.

"Do something!" Crow shouts. "I need to enter the tournament!"

"But…" The doctor's words trail off. He's unable to do anything.

"I don't care if I can never duel again!" Crow kneels in front of the doctor. "I don't care if I lose for the rest of my life! I just want to win this tournament!" He bows, his forehead nearly touching the floor. I bite my lip. It's hard to see your friend like this. "Please do something!"

"Enough with that nonsense!" The doctor shouts. "It's impossible for you to enter that tournament!"

"You quack! I won't ask for your help anymore!" Crow stands up, frowning. "I don't need this cast!" He touches his shoulder, only to scream. He hunches over in pain.

"Crow!" Aki and I reach out for him.

"Damn! Why now?" Tears start trailing down his face. "What am I going to tell them?" I freeze. His mind is only on the kids. I think of their banner and smiling faces.

* * *

Crow stands looking out the open shutter door at the rain. Everyone is silent. Aki's face scrunches up. She spends most of her time looking between Crow and I. What is she thinking?

"What are we going to do?" Jack breaks the silence, looking at Yusei. "Should just the two of us enter?"

"According to the tournament rules, if three people enter, you duel with 12000 life points. But if it's just two people, it's 8000 life points." Bruno explains as I sigh.

"That's too big of a handicap." Yusei says, shaking his head at Jack.

"Are you saying that we should give up?" There's venom in Jack's voice.

"No. We've come too far. I want to enter." Yusei answers. It's not just Crow that's hurting.

"My philosophy is that if I'm entering, I must win!" Jack slams his fist on the table and I jump slightly. "I won't duel to lose!"

The room goes silent again. Maybe I could join the team in Crow's place. No. I couldn't. I wouldn't be doing it out of a love of dueling or a drive to win. That's not how it should be. I feel bad. Yusei looks at me. I know he's thinking the same thing. He doesn't want to say it. He knows I would say no. His eyes tell me that. I look away from Yusei to Aki. She stares back at me. Her eyes suddenly widen as she realises something.

"Yusei, Jack." She steps forward. "I am also a member of Team 5D's. Let me enter."

"Aki!" I gasp.

"Are you serious?" Jack asks. Aki meets his eyes. There's a passion burning in her eyes, she nods. Jack smiles, shaking his head.

"That's a good idea!" Bruno sighs in relief. "Having three people is definitely more advantageous!"

"I know that I'm an inexperienced D-Wheeler." She says. "The world has opened up to me since I became one. But I have something to prove. Since the Fortune Cup, the world has thought of me as the Black Rose Witch. They think of me as a psychic duelist who can't control her powers and craves destruction. I want to show them how far I've come as a person. As Yuuka said, if I don't change their opinion of me, they'll always think of me the same way. That's why I want to do this. I want to do this to change the opinion of psychics everywhere." Aki takes off her right glove, baring her Signer mark. "You're my teammates, I want you to accept me. Please!"

"Aki." I mutter. I'm so proud of her. I smile at that thought. Crow starts walking outside.

"Wait, Crow!" Aki calls after him. He turns back, scowling.

"Be quiet! You can't understand how I feel!" Crow runs into rain. The garage falls into silence again.

* * *

"Still no sign of him?" I ask as we leave the garage, searching for Crow who still hasn't come back by the next morning.

"Yeah." Yusei answers.

"I'm worried." Bruno sighs. "He was very depressed."

"So he just runs off? He's like a child!" Jack scoffs. "Izayoi was also just talk!"

"Excuse me." I respond. "Aki was not  _just talk_. She was completely serious. I know her best. She's been thinking about this for a while."

I think about my conversation with Aki after  _that_. We drove home together. I ended up going with her to her front door. She told me that she had secretly wanted to enter the WRGP from the start. She never admitted that to anyone. She was too nervous to ask the guys to be their bench-warmer. She thought I already was. Those words that I had told all that time ago still stuck in her head. She wants to change everyone's opinion. Of psychics, of herself. Aki Izayoi really is something.

"Guys." I say as we pass our usual practice stop at the harbour. I spot Aki doing laps, with Crow in the centre. With a stopwatch, I imagine.

"Don't be scared! Or else, you won't be good enough to replace me!" I hear Crow, even from here.

"They made us worry over nothing!" Jack scoffs.

"We were overly anxious." I hear the smile in Bruno's voice.

"Aki, I entrust you with the kids' hopes, as well as mine!" My eyes widen. I can't believe Crow just said that.

"The third member of Team 5D's has been decided." Yusei looks at me and smiles.

"Hey Jack, you owe me a drink if they get together." I put on my best shit-eating grin.

"No!" He shouts. "I'm not getting into this again. I lost the last time and I'm not doing this again."

"C'mon." I pout at him. "Yusei, Bruno, anyone, please. I'll throw in some money too, why not?"

"Fine!" Jack shouts. "If you'll shut up."

I look back down at Aki and Crow, and smile. He trusts her with his kids. That's what he basically said. That says a lot, it really does. He might as well have said  _I trust you with my life_. There must be a part of Aki that understands that, and maybe even responds to it.

I hear my phone buzzing in my storage compartment of my D-Wheel. The message transfers onto the monitor. A message from Takumi, I wonder what it says. The four words I dread hearing the most.  _We need to talk._


	61. One Last Ride - ACT II END

Yusei and I are alone in the garage once we get back. Jack's gone for his far too expensive coffee now that he's allowed it again. Bruno decided to go on a walk. He likes taking the beach route, he's said before. Don't blame him. So, we decided to just throw ourselves on their couch, limbs entangled. It's nice just to sit there without a care in the world. I'm meeting Takumi in a few hours, it might be serious or Takumi could just be over dramatic like normal.

"Hey Yusei." I say. He hums, playing with my hair. "You never told me how you figured out that you liked me."

"Have I not?" His brows furrow a little. "Could have sworn we have."

"Maybe you didn't realise that you  _weren't_  talking out loud." I answer.

"That's always a reasonable explanation."

"Tell me though." I link my fingers with his. He's taken off his gloves for once, which makes me happy.

"Fine." He sighs. We move so we're lying down on the couch. It's a tight fit, but I will never complain. Can never be too close to Yusei, that's my motto. "It was back while both of us were on Team Satisfaction. We were on patrol one day, you insisted on going with me. It started lashing rain. I tried to go find shelter. But you wouldn't come with me. You wanted to dance in the rain." He chuckles. I remember that. "You dragged me out into the rain, and made me dance with you. I just started thinking. You had this big smile on your face. You found such happiness in a small thing like that even though we were in the Satellite. It's then I realised. You made me feel the same way." He smiles, turning to look at me. I start laughing, nearly falling off the couch in the process. "What?"

"That is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." I wipe a tear away from my eye. "I've watched some cheesy rom-coms in my time, but that beats all of them."

"When did you realise then?" Yusei shakes his head at me, smiling.

"I was just staring at you one day. We were stargazing and talking, even though we couldn't see any through the smog, and it just…  _hit me_." I smile, remembering all those feelings. "Then, I just started cursing in a big long stream."

"Oh, so that's what that was." He says as he squints slightly. Almost as if he was remembering the specific feelings of confusion he felt then.

"Your story's cute though." I look up at him. "Beautiful even." Yusei smiles before kissing me.

"Don't forget that I live here too!" Jack shouts as he bursts through the door. "Disgusting."

"Get used to it." I roll my eyes. "We hid this for months. Let me cuddle my boyfriend on the couch in peace, dammit."

* * *

Takumi calls us to the gazebo in the park where Team Liberation started its journey so long ago.  _We need to talk_. He texted me just a few hours ago out of the blue. That thought made my stomach sink. Those four words are never a good thing.

Kenta and I arrive together. Kaoru stands in the center of the gazebo, while Takumi stands on the opposite side of the gazebo, overlooking the pond. The view is nice as the last light of dusk shines on the water. He doesn't turn around even when we go up the steps into the gazebo. I get a sense of deja vu. This image was drilled into my mind the last time we were where. I look at Kenta, he bites his lip.

"Takumi." I say. He finally turns around, leaning on the railings. "What is this about?"

"I'm sorry to have called you here, with the WRGP starting and all." He smiles, but there's a  _fakeness_  to it. "But we have urgent business to attend to."

"Then, get on with it." Kenta scowls. Takumi seems taken aback.

"Well, we thought we were finished." He starts pacing. I lean on a pillar of the gazebo. Kenta makes me move over so he can lean on the same pillar. "But." He turns, facing Kenta and I. "Ben got a phonecall. Raiden Kimura." I get a shiver down my spine. "He threatened to take our territory and come for Yuuka personally." I knew this is what Takumi was talking about. No one has brought this up since then, or at least around me. "We need to determine if this is actually a real threat-"

"It is." Kenta answers, gritting his teeth. "We're talking about  _Raiden_  here."

"That's true." Takumi continues pacing. "What are we going to do?"

"How about after the WRGP is over, I go into an underground bunker and come out once everything's blown over?" I suggest. I'll do anything to avoid facing Raiden again,  _literally_.

"I would suggest having someone with you, twenty four-seven." Kenta furrows his brows slightly. "With that person preferably being a psychic. I mean any of your friends are also good choices, especially Izayoi."

"You're right there." Takumi says. "But what are we going to do about our territory? That's the most important thing here. Especially after we worked so hard for it." I look to Kenta, offended that Takumi would put our territory before me, his _friend_.

"More important than Yuuka?" Kenta scowls. "If Raiden gets to her, he might very well  _murder_  her. But no, you think our territory is more important."

"That's not what I meant." Takumi throws his hands up. "I believe in Yuuka's ability to not get murdered. She survived last time pretty well."

"Barely." Kenta counters. "From what she's said, that's only because she went berserk then which accelerated her healing factor. Meaning she was mostly healed by the time she got to hospital."

"What?" I mutter.

"The feelings you described when you fought Ben and Jasper, and the other time you fought Raiden. They're the same. The same feelings of electricity and your eyes burning. My guess is that you went berserk that time too, you just didn't realise it. Considering your emotional state during both, and it's a sound argument."

"Not that." I answer. Kenta tilts his head. "You called me Yuuka. You've never called me that before, you've always just called me Sasaki."

"Uh yeah." Kenta's eyes refuse to meet mine. "We're friends, aren't we? Wait, I have called you Yuuka before. You were berserk at the time so I don't think you remember."

"That's true." I chuckle. "Most of that time is a blur, so it makes sense."

"Back to business." Takumi says definitively. "How will defend the territory? We can't let months of work go to waste." We all stay silent, not looking at each other. " _Guys_." There's a desperation in Takumi's voice.

"Wait until Raiden shows up." I say. "We don't how know or when it's going to happen. He'll come for me first, I can almost guarantee that. My plan is to fight him straight on. Don't even let him come near our territory. This is my fight alone."

"Seems fair." Takumi answers. "But what if you fail? You always need a backup plan, you know that."

"I fail, I die. Simple as." I sigh. It's a terrible thought, but it's true. I have fought tooth and nail since that day when my world crumbled around me. I will not lose.

"You won't die." Takumi tries to convince me otherwise. "But your idea of intercepting Raiden before he can do anything is an interesting idea." He turns to Kaoru, who's been silent the entire time. "What do you think?"

"Getting rid of Raiden is my first priority right now." Kaoru says bluntly.

"I agree." Kenta says. "Our territory comes after that."

"I guess." Takumi huffs.

There's silence again. Takumi keeps pacing. The wheels in his head keep turning. Kenta is unusually tense. He keeps saying that something is wrong here. Is this what he's talking about? Could he have been talking about Takumi this entire time?

"What do you suggest we do?" I ask.

"I have an idea." He mutters. "I haven't fully thought it through yet. Keep coming up with ideas until I've got this planned out."

"Aren't we supposed to be doing nothing with our territory though? Now that we've conquered it all." Kenta says. There's a strange look in his eyes. Almost like he's purposefully riling Takumi up. Takumi's eyes darken, like he's caught onto this.

"Technically yes, but if we don't want it to be taken off us, we have to take care of it." He leans on the railings of the gazebo.

"Seems tedious." Kenta huffs. Takumi becomes more and more irritated.

"That's a sacrifice we're going to have to make."

"What's this idea of yours?" All eyes turn to me. "What do you think we should do?"

"Well." Takumi hums. "Increase patrols. Tighten our defenses. I want to be ready when he strikes."

"And after that?" I prompt. There's something else, that Takumi isn't as willing to share.

"We take him down, once and for all."

"No. I mean, after  _that_." I say. Panic flashes into his eyes for a split second.

"I thought about increasing our power." Takumi turns his back to us, looking out over the pond again. "Taking the fight to where it really needs to go."

"Takumi." Kenta grits his teeth.

"This City isn't the utopia it claims to be." Takumi continues, ignoring Kenta. "It mistreats its citizens. Isolating and discriminating against psychics and Satellites alike. That's why gangs are such a big thing here. I want to get back at this City. Get to the root of the problem and get rid of it. Only then can we be free."

"You can't be serious." My brows furrow. "That can't fix this problem. There's no way we can solve this with violence."

"Yuuka, don't be silly." Takumi huffs. "You think words can solve this? This City has never listened to us. I had some hope that it would change with the unification with the Satellite, but it's solved nothing. Satellites and psychics are still treated like second-class citizens. The only way to fix this is through force. Make them see that they can't treat us like this."

"Takumi, that's not an option." Kenta pipes up before I have the chance to. "Using violence is only going to make them crack down harder on us. We need to hold marches and demonstrations. Sign petitions, go on strike. Not fight a system that's already punished us enough with more violence."

"What after that?" I ask. Takumi's composure breaks for a split second. "What if we fail? What if we succeed?"

"We keep going." He answers. "We can't stop until psychics and Satellites are treated the same as everyone else. Everywhere."

"Everywhere?" I know.

"Why stop at this City alone?" Takumi's eyes grow wide as if a new world has opened up to him. "This problem exists everywhere in the world. I can't sit back and watch this happen."

"Takumi!" My fists clench. "What are you thinking?" I move off the pillar, and stand in front of him. "You told us Cardinal Dragons was the end. You  _lied_ to us." Takumi backs away from me. "Unless." He gulps. "This was your plan along." He stays silent, not meeting my gaze. " _Takumi._ "

"This is not your fight." Kenta pushes himself off the column. "You are neither a psychic or a Satellite. You have no place making this decision."

"I do." Takumi says. "I am neither so I have the loudest voice. No one would listen to you otherwise."

"You're gaining power from our plight." My body starts shaking. I feel my aura flare. "You're not helping us, Takumi. You're  _using_  us. All you gain from this is power."

"That's not true!" Takumi shouts back at me. "My boyfriend is a psychic. Most of friends are psychics. You're from the Satellite. I can't stand and watch all of you get mistreated anymore. I have to do  _something_."

"This is not the answer!" I step right up to him. His back bends back slightly. His feet don't move, he stands his ground. "Our answer was to conquer gangs peacefully. I stand by that. If you want to cause a revolution like that, I won't have any part of it." I take a few steps back. Takumi exhales loudly. Kaoru refuses to meet my eyes.

"Then, you're turning your back on your people." Takumi glares at me. "There is no revolution without force. Once a revolutions starts, it will never end."

Something inside of me snaps. Everything's a blur as my feet moves by themselves.

"Yuuka." Kenta holds his arm out. My fist freezes in midair, only milliseconds away from punching Takumi in the face. Takumi's eyes open slowly, he was ready for impact. With a flick of his wrist, Kenta converts my boiling rage to a calm, collected one. I lower my fist, slowly. Takumi flinches. I take a few steps back.

"You want a fight then?" Takumi asks.

"If that's the only thing that will make you come to your senses, then yes." I answer, and take a deep breath.

"I won't duel you." Takumi says. "Kenta manipulating your emotions will only last so long. Once that's over, you'll use your powers to beat me to a pulp."

"Then what?" I scoff. "Hand to hand?"

"Not that either." He shakes his head. "You're stronger than me and we both know that." I squint. Takumi is quite muscular, though in a leaner way than Shinji. We used to go the gym together a lot. Why he refuses to fight me now is a mystery.

"You scared?" It's the only explanation that comes to mind.

"No. You're thinking that there's not that big of a power gap between us, aren't you?" Takumi smiles like he knows he's right, and he is. "I imagine your aura's flaring right now, judging by Kenta. You're always stronger when you're like that."

"You're right about that." Kenta answers.

"So, you won't fight me? That's what I'm hearing."

"That's right." Takumi turns his back on me again. "Kenta already lost a duel to me. There's nothing you two can do to change my mind."

"What if we leave?" The words drip from my lips like venom. "Don't doubt me, Takumi. You know I will."

"Kenta won't." Takumi turns back to me, a fire in his eyes. "I can just find someone to replace you."

"You're wrong." Kenta moves to stand beside me. "You won't find anyone out there like us.  _Move on_."

"Kenta." Takumi mutters, eyes wide.

"Kaoru." I turn to my brother. "Join us. Don't let him convince you that this is a good idea." He refuses to meet my eyes. " _Kaoru._ " He refuses to say anything.

Why won't you say anything? I try talking to him mentally. Are you siding with him? Why? Kaoru, please answer me. He looks towards to the pond, instead of at the ground. His eyes are closed.

"Kaoru!" Kenta shouts. Kaoru still remains silent.

"I see how it is." My fists clench.

"See Yuuka." Takumi shakes his head. "Kaoru can see the sense in what I'm saying, isn't that right?" Kaoru remains silent, not answering Takumi either. What is wrong with him?

"He's not taking a side." Kenta says, sighing.

"But Yuuka…" Takumi trails off, looking to the side. "If you're not with me, you're against me. You do realise that?"

"If you're sacrificing our friendship because I won't follow you, then so be it." I glare at him, as if my stares could drill some sense into him. He merely raises his eyebrows at me.

"Then, I guess this is it." Takumi walks past me, stopping at the bottom of the steps into the gazebo. "You're on your own now, Yuuka. I hope you realise that." He moves his gaze to Kaoru. "Come on. We're done here."

Kaoru pushes himself off the pillar with his foot. His shoulder brushes mine as he goes to walk down the steps. I gasp, turning around. I follow them down the steps, watching them walk away. Kenta follows me, standing slightly behind me.

"Kaoru. You've  _betrayed_  me." The venom starts flowing from my lips. "I hope you know that. You're going against everything we've fought for. You're going against  _me_." Tears start burning at my eyes. I think about the last few months, nearly a year, with Kaoru by my side. Helping through my depression, joining Team Liberation to  _protect_  me. Vowing to not let Raiden Kimura get away with what's he done. Me helping him get his D-Wheel licence. All our inside jokes. Talking at three in the morning about nothing at all, just inside our heads. I thought he cared for me. I really thought he did. I guess I was wrong. "I just wish I had let you  _rot_. Turned you away when you needed help. Because that's what you had done to me." For a second, I swear I see him turn back. I blink, and he just keeps walking. He only gets further and further away from me. Walking side-by-side with Takumi. He's betrayed me. I feel our mental connection snap. For the first time in a long time, my mind is completely quiet.

"Yuuka." I hear Kenta mutter beside me. He places a hand on my back. I fall to my knees. Sobs shake my entire being. My fists bang on the ground. Stones cut my skin. He's gone. He abandoned me. Everything burns. My eyes, my heart. The last of dusk's light disappears. No more tears fall. My body shakes. Kenta helps me stand up again. He's long gone. I know he is. He turned his back on me. Everything we fought for.

Fire shoots up to my temples. I feel it sear across my chest and head. I try to take a deep breath, but it catches in my throat.

When I open my eyes, everything is pitch black. A swirl of rainbow light appears in front of me. The spiral of buildings falling from the sky sits just a bit in front of me. Falling gradually until it's doomed to crash. A machine appears in the middle of the twinkling light. The strange shape has returned. It's the strange comma-shaped machine that appeared before us in the Security headquarters. Something about it is achingly familiar. Something inside me makes me reach out for it. The rainbow light making patterns on its white body. It turns slowly towards me. It's almost looks like a D-Wheel, like… I feel its eyes on me. It calls out for me. Both of my hands reach out for it. I blink. The machine disappears. The rainbow light keeps shining. It reflects on Yusei's helmet which has made its way into my hands. Blood drips from the helmet onto the pitch dark floor. The blood pools around me, turning the floor into a beach. The spiral of buildings, now further away, crashes into the sea. The waves crash all around me. I see Yusei's D-Wheel race past me in the tide. I stay completely still in the water. Aki. Jack. Crow. Ruka. Rua. Their dead bodies float past me one by one. My hands start turning the helmet in my hands. The blood runs onto my hands and soak my sleeves. There's suddenly a weight to the helmet. I face it towards me. Eyes closed like in death. Yusei Fudo's severed head lies in the helmet.

ACT II CONSEQUENCE END


	62. Overlap - ACT III START

ACT III ACCEPTANCE

I don't sleep. I cling to Yusei like I'm going to lose him. No, I  _am_  going to lose him. Yusei Fudo is doomed to die. I came to that realisation at around three in the morning. I was just watching his chest rise and fall, and then it hit me. All those strange images that I saw in my dreams. They only point to one thing. Something will fall from the sky, hitting the ocean. The resulting waves will drown the City, taking my friends with it. Yusei Fudo will die, alongside his D-Wheel. I've come to accept this as fact.

The alarm on my phone rings, stirring Yusei from his peaceful sleep. He holds me tighter as the light, airy music plays.

"You have to get up." I whisper. He ignores me, pushing my head under his. "Today's the big day."

"Can't it wait?" He mumbles. "I'm busy."

"Busy?" An airy laugh escapes my mouth. I can't tell how much of it is forced.

"Yes, I want to cuddle my girlfriend in peace."

"Turn that alarm off." Crow bangs his fist on the bedroom door.

"Too bad." I say, my hand weaving its way into his hair. I make no effort to get up myself. "If it will make you get up, I'm wearing shorts and thigh high socks with my pit crew jacket."

"Right, I'm up." I move so I free up his arm. He sits up, brushing the hair back off his forehead. I snake my arms around his waist, hugging him. I haven't told him about what I saw. He's stressed out enough as it is. It wouldn't be fair, I told myself. He has enough weight on his shoulders as it is. He grabs his riding shirt and looks back at me. "As much as I love this, I need to put my shirt on."

"Fine." I get up, grabbing my clothes for the day. I wanted matching outfits for the pit crew. I managed to find nice magenta and black jackets in the men's section, to which I added our logo. As well as a plain yellow and white t-shirt to go underneath it. Unfortunately, they didn't have a small enough size for the twins, so I had to make some for them by hand. I pair the half uniform with denim shorts, black thigh high socks and my usual lace up brown boots. I thought I might as well give Yusei something nice to look at, y'know, since he's going to be stressed with the pressure of leading the team and coming up with strategies.

"How have you never worn that before?" Yusei asks me as I come back into the room from the bathroom. I've put my hair in some sort of half-up style. My hair is slowly creeping down further away from my collarbone, I really need to get it trimmed.

"You like it?" I give him a little spin.

"Yeah, I think it's great. Definitely accentuates your assets." He nods, smiling.

"I think you mean my  _ass_ ets." I laugh.

"That's what I said." I raise an eyebrow at him, and shake my head.

"Come on." He steps forward to kiss me. "They're going to start complaining." He kisses me again. I start smiling. "But you're making a very convincing argument." This time, he raises an eyebrow at me before I kiss him.

* * *

"The first-ever World Riding Duel Grand Prix finally begins!" The MC's voice fills the stadium. We walk out into the stadium, heading towards the pit at the centre. "Neo Domino City is more excited than during the Fortune Cup! To commemorate this first tournament, it's taking place at Moment's birthplace!" The cheers are almost deafening. "Block A preliminaries will be held at the Memorial Circuit, the site of the Fortune Cup." If possible, the crowd seems bigger than the one at the Fortune Cup. "The first match is incredible for the preliminaries! Team Unicorn conquered the Atlantis Cup! The three members are Breo, Andore and Jean! Facing them are Fortune Cup winner Yusei Fudo, former King Jack Atlas and Aki Izayoi! They are Team 5D's! Two tournament favourites clash on the first day! Who would have expected this?"

We walk to our section at the pit. Bruno moves to the computers and starts typing. Yusei watches over his shoulders, making comments. Aki stares at the crowd.

"Are you nervous?" I ask her. She's rubbing her fingers over the leather of her glove and her riding suit.

"I'm not going to lie, I am." She sighs.

"You'll be fine." I smile. "They didn't heckle you when they said your name, so that's always a good start."

"I suppose that's true."

"Andore is going first." Rua says as he runs up to Yusei.

"Yusei, you're going first, right?" Ruka asks.

"No. Jack is first, Aki is second and I'm last." Yusei explains.

"Yusei, you're not first?" Ruka's eyebrows furrow slightly.

"I thought you were going to settle things from practice." Rua pouts.

"It's strategy." Jack answers.

"Yusei's our ace-in-the-hole in case things go very wrong." I say.

"Only Jack's deck has the power to face Andore's power deck." Bruno explains.

"Hmm, I'll use my Red Daemon's Dragon to destroy that weak power deck!" Jack pumps his fist, self assured as always. We walk the Wheel of Fortune to the starting line. Jack sits in it, waiting to start.

"What do you want?" Crow scowls as Jean from Team Unicorn walks up to us.

"Don't misunderstand." Jean has this slimy smile that gives me the shivers. "I only came to say hello. Too bad about the injury." I don't trust him.

"But Team 5D's is still powerful without me!" Crow says.

"I know. We think you're our greatest rivals in this tournament." He tilts his head slightly. "It's finally time to settle things."

"Yeah, let's both give it our all today." Yusei smiles right back at him.

"Of course, but the battle has already begun." Jean's face contorts slightly, and it clicks in my head.

"What's up with him?" Crow pouts. "He's cool-headed today! He's totally different than before."

"They finally realised how powerful we are." Jack scoffs. "But as long as Jack Atlas is the first wheeler, everyone knows who'll win!"

"Jack." I whisper, so low that no one else can hear me. "Be careful out there. I think Andore used a different deck when he dueled Yusei. Don't bet on him using a power deck. If anything, I'd bet on an anti-power deck." I glance over at Team Unicorn. I meet Andore's eyes. There's a glimpse of panic in his eyes, he turns quickly to Jean.

"I'll beat them regardless." Jack hums. I sigh and we walk back into the pit. I stand between Yusei and Aki. I have a bad feeling about this.

"It's almost time for this featured battle!" The MC's voice booms over the sound system. "The crews have returned to their pits, so the duel is about to begin!"

"It's finally starting." Aki smiles.

"Yeah, this is the first step towards our dream." Yusei responds.

"I was looking forward to battling you." Jack points to Andore. "We'll determine whose power deck is stronger!" Is he pretending to not know what I just told him? Or is he ignoring my advice completely? Honestly, both are equally likely at this stage.

"Speed World 2, set!"

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC's voice shouts, hurting my ears a little. "Both start simultaneously!"

"When it comes to acceleration, I can't lose!" Incredibly, I can still hear Jack's voice over the roar of the engine. Not surprising at all, considering we're talking about Jack Atlas of all people. Andore uses boosters to shoot ahead of Jack. "What?"

"That's…" There's a panic tone to Bruno's voice.

"Overboost System!" Yusei exclaims. I look at him confused. "Basically, he accelerates very quickly now, but as a cost, his overall speed later on is lower."

"So he desperately wants to go first? This is what I'm hearing." Yusei nods, confirming my suspicions.

"If you want to go first that badly, I'll let you!" Jack scoffs.

"We now know who goes first and who goes second! Start the duel!" The MC cheers.

"Duel!" Andore and Jack chant simultaneously, starting the duel.

"My turn!" Andore claims the first turn. "I summon the Tuner Monster Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! I remove a spell card in my hand from play to Special Summon Monoceros(DEF:1000)! I can Special Summon Monoceros from my hand when I remove a Spell card in my hand from play."

"He's already planning to Synchro Summon!" Jack comments.

"I set two cards and end my turn." Andore smirks, causing gasps to erupt in the pit.

"Strange." Yusei looks at me.

"What's wrong, Yusei?" Rua asks.

"Why didn't he Synchro Summon?" Yusei ponders. It clicks in my head.

"If he's worried about Jack's attack power, he would want two monsters in defense position." Bruno suggests an answer.

"You're wrong. We know for a fact that he's not." If he put up that good of a fight against Yusei, he has no reason to be afraid of Jack.

"But he Special Summoned Monoceros. If he Synchro Summons using Monoceros with a Beast-Type monster as material, he can resurrect the Beast-Type Tuner Monster." Yusei explains. "Even if he Synchro Summoned, he would still have two monsters on his field. In fact, his defense would be stronger if he Synchro Summoned."

"I see. So why didn't he?" Crow turns around in the chair to look at Yusei.

"My guess is that he knows Jack will try to summon Red Daemon's Dragon, so he's going to use its effect against him." I pout.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this duel." Yusei sighs.

"Here I go! I'll show you my power! My turn!" Jack starts his turn as their Speed Counters increase for the first turn. "I can Special Summon this card from my hand when monsters are only on your side of the field. Appear, Vice Dragon(ATK:2000)! But when I use this effect to Special Summon it, its attack and defense points are halved(ATK:2000-1000)! Then, I summon Dark Resonator(ATK:1300)! Level 3 Dark Resonator tunes Level 5 Vice Dragon! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"Jack Atlas already summoned Red Daemon's Dragon!" The MC screams. "Show us the overwhelming power that we saw during the Fortune Cup!"

"When Red Daemon's Dragon attacks a monster in defense position, all your monsters in defense position are destroyed!" Jack declares. "No matter how many defending monsters you have, it's pointless against Red Daemon's Dragon! Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!"

"I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect!" Andore smirks. "When Uni-Horned Familiar is attacked while in defense position, I can remove a monster on my field from play to remove Uni-Horned Familiar from play!"

"What?" Jack exclaims, knowing he's been baiting into a trap.

"His field is now wide open!" Crow's eyes light up. It's not that simple.

"I see! He's trying to trap me!" Jack's eyes widen. "Since the situation has changed, I stop Red Daemon's Dragon's attack!"

"Too bad, but that's not possible. Due to Uni-Horned Familiar's effect, you can't stop your attack!" There it is. "Come, Red Daemon's Dragon! Jack Atlas, taste your own power! I activate the trap, Different Dimension Barrier - Lost Force! When my monster leaves the field outside of battle, your monster's attack deflects back at you!"

"Jack!" Crow exclaims as Jack drops to 1000 life points in an instant.

"How dare you!" Jack shouts back at Andore.

"Whoa! Jack Atlas was countered and took a whopping 3000 points of damage!" The MC screams once again over the sound system.

"I set three cards and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Andore starts his turn again. "Uni-Horned Familiar, whose effect removed it from play, returns! Appear, Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! I can't Normal Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight, but I can Special Summon it by resurrecting Monoceros that was removed from play. Resurrect, Monoceros(DEF:1000)! Appear, D.D. Unicorn Knight(ATK:1800)! Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar tunes Level 3 Monoceros! Soaring thunder, merge with the ferocious wind to emerge from the world of illusions! Synchro Summon! Neigh, Thunder Unicorn(ATK:2200)!" Just as I thought, leaving those monsters was bait for an attack from Red Daemon's.

"Thunder Unicorn has 2200 attack points! It's weaker than my Red Daemon's Dragon!" Jack scoffs.

"Once per turn, your monster loses 500 attack points for every monster that isn't Thunder Unicorn on my field." Andore explains.

"But, I'll still have 2500 attack points. Red Daemon's Dragon won't lose to the likes of you!" I'm tempted to climb onto the track and beat some sense into Jack. Monsters have effects that do things, a surprising concept, I know.

"You forgot about this effect!" Andore smirks. "I activate Monoceros's effect from the graveyard. When Monoceros and a Beast-Type Tuner Monster are used to Synchro Summon, the Tuner Monster resurrects! Resurrect, Uni-Horned Familiar(DEF:1000)! There are now two non-Thunder Unicorn monsters on my field. Red Daemon's Dragon's attack points decrease to 2000(ATK:3000-2000)!"

"What?" Jack exclaims, as if he didn't expect this.

"Go, Thunder Unicorn! Thunder Spear!" Andore declares. Red Daemon's is destroyed and Jack's life points fall to 800.

"How could Red Daemon's Dragon be destroyed so easily?" Jack's eyes widen. I just sigh.

"Yusei, look at this!" Bruno shouts over to us as the computer omits an error message.

"What is it?" Yusei goes over to him.

"Something entered the air intake. Should he make a pit stop?" Bruno asks. "It'll mean we have less Speed Counters than them."

"Safety first." Yusei nods. "Jack should make a pit stop."

"I set one card and end my turn." Andore smirks.

"Enough with your stupid tricks! You'll stop stealing my power when I acquire power that you can't steal!" Jack in his rage drives right by our sign for a pit stop. "Unbelievable! You want me to make a pit stop now? You must be kidding! I'm continuing this duel! My turn!" Jack shouts.

"Ah, Jack is continuing the duel!" Did we really expect anything else from Jack though?

"I summon Mad Archfiend(ATK:1800)!" Jack continues. "Then, I activate the trap, Powerful Rebirth! I Special Summon a Level 4-or-below monster from my graveyard and equip it with this card. The equipped monster gains 100 attack and defense points and one Level. I Special Summon Dark Resonator from my graveyard(ATK:1300-1400/LV:3-4)! I activate another trap! Rage Resynchro! By sending Synchro Material Monsters to the graveyard, I can Special Summon its Synchro Monster from the graveyard with 500 additional attack points! Level 4 Dark Resonator tunes Level 4 Mad Archfiend by sending them to the graveyard! The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! Resurrect, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000-3500)!"

"3500 attack points?" Andore exclaims.

"Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack screams.

"I activate the trap, Dimension Trap! By removing a monster on my field and a trap card in my graveyard from play, I can activate that trap's effect!" Andore declares. "I remove Uni-Horned Familiar and Different Dimension Barrier - Lost Force from play! Lost Force's effect is now on my field! Lost Force negates your attack, and you take damage equal to its attack points!"

"This is bad! Stop the attack, Jack!" Yusei shouts from the pit.

"If you take this, you'll lose!" Crow grits his teeth.

"If you think you can stop my attack, then try!" Jack smirks. "I activate the trap, Overpower! This card negates and destroys the card that tries to stop a monster's attack! Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" This reduces to Andore's life points to 2700.

"He survived this turn." Crow sighs.

"We've overlooked something that's strategically important." Yusei mutters.

"What do you mean, Yusei?" Aki turns to him, confused.

"His deck isn't a power deck. It's a deck that counteracts Jack's power deck." Bruno confirms my thoughts.

"That means back then…" Crow's words trail off before he starts shouting. "The deck he used wasn't his real deck?"

"We completely feel for their trick." Yusei admits, as if I hadn't already said this.

"What do you mean, Yusei?" Ruka asks.

"It wasn't a coincidence that they challenged us during practice." Yusei covers his mouth with his hand. I had never thought about that.

"What? He deliberately fell in front of me?" Crow raises his eyebrows.

"Yes, to give us the wrong idea." Yusei explains.

"Give us the wrong idea?" Crow echoes.

"They wanted us to think that Andore would go first and use a power deck." I explain. "They anticipated that we'd choose Jack as ours to fight power with power."

"I see!" Bruno exclaims. "Team Unicorn did whatever it took to go first so that they could set a trap against a power deck."

"Team Unicorn has predicted everything that's happened so far?" Aki mutters. My eyes meet Jean's. They know that we've figured out, but that doesn't bother them. It's too late, in their eyes, for us to do anything now. I know Yusei's mind is already spinning to come up with a strategy.

"Jack, that was impressive. You counterattacked from that situation. But with your simple-minded dueling style, you can't win the WRGP." Andore's voice is dripping with confidence. I want to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Be quiet!" Jack hums. "I don't need you to lecture me about dueling!"

"I expected that attack." I sigh. This Andore guy is too much. "Thanks to you, the battle is over. I activate the trap card, Parallel Selection! When a Synchro Monster is destroyed, I can add one card that was removed from play to my hand. I'm bringing back Speed Spell - End of the Storm."

"This is bad!" Yusei exclaims.

"My turn!" Andore declares, their Speed Counters reaching four. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing four Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand! You lose, Jack Atlas." Andore's Speed Counters jump back to 0 as Jack's life points hit 0. Jack spins out. I hear something catch. Jack flies from his D-Wheel as it crashes.

"Unbelievable! Jack Atlas crashed!" The MC's voice booms. I'm frozen.

"Damn!" Crow curses, slamming his fist on the table.

"There really was a malfunction with the D-Wheel!" Bruno exclaims as Yusei runs to the track.

"Yusei…" Rua mumbles.

"Jack!" I hear Yusei shout as he steps on the track.

"Stay back!" Jack yells back at him as he tries to get up slowly. "Did you forget the race rules?" Blood drips down from his face. "If anyone touches a D-Wheeler during the race, we'll be disqualified!" He manages to get onto his knees. He points at the pit. "Return to your position!"

"Jack…" Yusei mumbles as he returns to my side.

"Oh my!" The MC shouts as Jack starts pushing his D-Wheel upright. "Jack Atlas has started lifting up his D-Wheel!" He starts wheeling it back. "Jack Atlas's D-Wheel isn't working!" Andore makes a lap around him again. Here we go, the countdown to our doom. "He's pushing his D-Wheel so that they can get to their second wheeler, Aki Izayoi! Jack Atlas keeps pushing his D-Wheel with determination! But now he's facing a huge problem!"

"It's going to be close." Yusei mutters.

"What?" Rua asks.

"According to the WRGP rules, the opposing team gains a Speed Counter for every lap you fall behind." Bruno explains. "Team Unicorn has the maximum 12 Speed Counters. After that, our Speed Counters decrease."

"But we only have 4!" Rua exclaims. "What happens if it reaches 0?"

"When we have 0 Speed Counters, we're disqualified." Yusei sighs. The twins cry out. I close my eyes. There's nothing we can do, we can only stand here, waiting.

"Team 5D's will lose in just four laps!" Jack is nearly at the crossover point. Rua, Crow and I run out to the line.

"Jack, do your best!" Rua shouts.

"Show your guts!" Crow shakes his good fist in the air. I look back towards Aki. She gets her D-Wheel onto the line. She hugs me before getting on her D-Wheel.

"He's coming!" Jack crawls ever closer to the line. "Only one lap left! Can Jack Atlas pass the baton to the second wheeler?" I spot Yusei hand Aki a card. She flips it over so I can't see it. She gasps. A strategy, he answers. Could it be? Jack screams as he pushes the Wheel of Fortune over the crossover line. He rips the team logo sticker off his arm, falling to his knees. Aki puts out her hand, taking the sticker and putting it on. "He's coming! It's the final corner!" Aki sets off.

"Do your best!" I shout after her. Yusei and I catch Jack before he falls further. We have his arms around our shoulders. We're the closest in height so it's easier on Jack this way.

"What close timing! If Aki Izayoi gives up the lead on the first corner, Team 5D's loses!" I bit my lip as Andore and Aki turn the corner. Aki appears on the monitor with 4000 life points and 1 Speed Counter. I sigh in relief. "They survived! Team 5D's survived! The second wheeler Aki Izayoi's battle now begins!"

"Well done, Izayoi. Yusei, I leave the rest to you." Jack mutters before passing out.

"Please take care of Jack!" Yusei shouts over to the staff, who are coming with a stretcher. Carly, Mikage and the waitress from the cafe that Jack goes to hijack the stretcher.

"Please take Jack to the medical office." We hand Jack over to them. We move back into the pit. I wrap my arms around Yusei's waist in an effort to keep myself grounded. We're at the first change of team members and it's already _this_  dramatic.

"Duel!" Andore and Aki chant, starting their part of the duel.

"My turn!" Aki claims the first turn. "I summon Phoenixian Seed(ATK:800)! By sending Phoenixian to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my hand(ATK:2200)! Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis attacks D.D. Unicorn Knight! Flame Petal!" Andore's life points drop to 2300. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's effect activates. This card is destroyed when it attacks you, and you take 800 points of damage. Scatter Flame!" Aki immediately causes more damage, leaving Andore at 1500.

"Not bad!" Andore smirks. "I set one card and end my turn."

"During this End Phase, I can resurrect Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis by removing one Plant-Type Monster in my graveyard from play!" Aki declares. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis resurrects(DEF:0)!"

"You did it, Aki!" Crow smiles as the crowd cheers.

"You're doing well, Aki!" Rua pumps his fist.

"My turn!" Andore starts his turn. "I activate Speed Spell - Dash Pilfer! When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, Dash Pilfer lets me gain control of one of your monsters in defense position." Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis appears on his field. "Then, I summon Unibird(ATK:100)! I activate Unibird's effect! I remove this card and a monster on my field from play. I Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard with an equal or lower Level! I Special Summon Thunder Unicorn from my graveyard(ATK:2200)! Thunder Unicorn, attack Aki Izayoi directly! Thunder Spear!" Aki's life points fall to 1800 in one foul swoop. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Aki is at a disadvantage." Ruka comments. If Andore used his Speed Counters, he could a lot closer to defeating Aki right now. He sees Yusei as that much of a threat.

"Is there anything she can do, Yusei?" Rua asks.

"There is. I gave Aki a secret plan before she started." A card.

"What secret plan?" Crow turns around in the chair.

"Watch and learn." Yusei looks to me and smiles. Wait, my eyes widen. He's pulled this strategy before with me.

"My turn!" Aki starts her turn, her Speed Counters now at 4. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand(ATK:1700)! By summoning Witch of the Black Rose, I can draw another card from my deck! I drew Rose Fairy. When a monster effect adds this card to my hand from my deck, I can Special Summon it(ATK:600)! I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton! When I have 2-or-more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck and discard one card. I discard Glow-Up Bulb from my hand to the graveyard! Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose tunes Level 3 Rose Fairy! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch black flower set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!"

"Aki's Izayoi's ace monster, Black Rose Dragon, has appeared!" Andore smirks.

"I activate the trap card, Star Siphon." Aki continues. "When a Synchro Monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Siphon Token and switch their Levels." Black Rose Dragon's Level becomes 1, as the Siphon Token's becomes 7. "I send the top card in my deck to the graveyard to resurrect Glow-Up Bulb(ATK:100)! Level 1 Glow-Up Bulb tunes Level 7 Siphon Token! Clustering wishes form a new shining star."

"What?"

"No way!"

"This is…"

"Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" I smirk, knowing I was right. Yusei let me use Stardust Dragon when we were fighting the Cardinal Dragons. A definite power play that worked in our favour.

"What?" Andore exclaims.

"Yusei, as long as I have you power, I have nothing to fear!" Aki smiles. "Go, Black Rose Dragon! Black Rose Flare!" Andore' life points fall to 1300.

"Go, Aki!" I cheer.

"Stardust Dragon!" Aki tries to begin her next attack, but she is interrupted.

"Too bad, but the Battle Phase is already over." Andore explains. "I activated the trap card, Dimension Equilibrium. When a monster is destroyed in battle, I can remove the attacking monster from play to resurrect the destroyed monster(ATK:2200)! Next, the Battle Phase ends."

"What a terrifying effect!" Aki mutters as the crowd cheers. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn!" Andore starts his turn again. "I activate Speed Spell - Speed Energy! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, my monster gains 200 attack points for each Speed Counter. I have 12 Speed Counters! Therefore, Thunder Unicorn gains 2400 attack points(ATK:2200-4600)!"

"4600 attack points?" There's clear panic in Aki's voice.

"Go, Thunder Unicorn! Thunder Spear!" Andore declares.

"I activate the trap, Half Counter! With Half Counter, Stardust Dragon gains half of Thunder Unicorn's original attack points(ATK:2500-3600)!" I sigh. Aki manages to hang on with 800 life points.

"Aki!" Rua shouts.

"She has 800 life points left." Bruno says.

"He has all of his Speed Counters! He also has Speed Spells!" Crow exclaims. Aki managed to hang on but it wasn't enough. Yusei moves to get ready, not before kissing me on the cheek.

"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" Andore flicks his wrist. "By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand!"

"I activate the trap, Wicked Rebirth!" Aki interrupts. "I pay 800 life points to Special Summon a Synchro Monster without its effect from my graveyard! Return to the field, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!" Aki uses the last of her life points to revive Stardust.

"What an ending! Aki Izayoi destroyed herself and has to leave the course!" The MC's voice booms. Yusei's already waiting at the crossover for Aki.

"I'm sorry, Yusei. I couldn't do anything." She looks down at her hands, ashamed.

"That's not true." Rua says, taking her cards and walking back over to Yusei.

"Rua is right. You managed to save Stardust." I take the team logo off her arm, and place it on Yusei's.

"I understand your passion." Yusei says, resting his hand on the cards Rua had placed in. "Leave the rest to me." He drives off then.

"Aki." I mumble as I spot the tears dripping onto her clenched fist.

"Hey." Crow pats her shoulder with his good hand, he then points to the crowd. "Look."

"Aki! Well done!" Her dad shouts while waving a giant banner bearing the name  _Izayoi_.

"Aki, you were cool!" Her mother cheers. The crowd suddenly erupts in applause. A smile breaks out on Aki's face.

"But what a situation! Who could've expected this?" All of a sudden I feel queasy. "We expected a close battle, but Team Unicorn has an overwhelming lead!" I feel bile rising to my throat. "In order for Team 5D's to make a comeback, the last wheeler, Yusei Fudo, has to defeat three opponents!"

I run from the pit, passing Aki pushing her D-Wheel back. My feet lead me back into the corridors. I stop in the common area behind the stands. I stop to catch my breath. I resist the urge to vomit. The overwhelming aura draws me. I start walking. I walk through another corridor, reaching the stands. I walk down a few steps. All noise has been muffled. Raiden Kimura is here. In this stadium, right here, right now. His aura sweeps away, almost like in the breeze, passing right through me. I run back, following it. My chest feels like it's on fire. It's faint, but there's a tinge of Yusei's aura in there too. That soothing sensation amidst the burning. And suddenly, it just  _stops_. His aura disappears, like in a vacuum, like it was never there. I grasp for air. It feels like something irreplaceable has been ripped out of my chest. I fall to my knees and start coughing. Everything starts fading together. Raiden's aura is completely gone. The burning sensation that normally comes with his aura is gone too. Black spots appear in my vision. I spot staff running towards me. I slump against the wall, then fall to the floor. My world turns black.

* * *

The eyes of that strange robot stay in my mind. Why do its gaze seem so familiar? Bruno called it a  _he_. Could that machine that appeared before us in that strange place be human? I'm in that place. A vast empty plain of pure white. I feel the burning sensation of Raiden's aura. The machine appears before me. I reach out for it.

I blink awake, staring at a white ceiling. Oh yeah, I fainted in the middle of the stadium. I sit up, looking around the medical centre of the stadium.

"You're awake then?" I freeze.

"What are you doing here?" I grit my teeth.

"I'm your brother. I see you being brought here, of course I'm going to be here."

"Yeah, but you betrayed me remember?" My eyebrows furrow. "What if I don't  _want_  you here?"

"Hey Kaoru, I-" My glare is enough to make Takumi shut up.

"What's  _he_  doing here?"

"That doesn't matter." He tries to answer.

"Here I got you some water, cause you fainted." Takumi tries to hand me the water bottle in his hands.

"I don't want it."

"Yuuka." Kaoru speaks through gritted teeth.

"He could have poisoned it for all I know."

"He wouldn't poison it." Kaoru tries to explain.

"Dude, the bottle is still sealed." Takumi huffs, putting the bottle beside me on the bed.

"Still don't trust him." I look away from them, crossing my arms. "If you're not with me, you're against me and all that."

"Team 5D's duel just ended." Takumi says. "Thought you'd like to know." I say nothing. "Yusei manage to defeat all three wheelers on his own. I'd say it was impressive if your brother hadn't already done that today." I stay silent. "Aren't you proud of him?"

"Leave her alone, Takumi." Emiko walks into the infirmary, Anako trailing behind her. "Can't you see that she looks uncomfortable?"

"She always look like that." Takumi raises an eyebrow while frowning.

"No, I know Yuuka, and that's not her normal face." Emiko moves closer to Takumi who steps back, despite the very large height difference between them. "You're up to something, I know it." She brings up her finger up, as if to point at him but missing his face by a lot.

"Kaoru's face makes that obvious." Anako stares over my head at Kaoru on the other side of me.

"You keep that Team Liberation thing from me." Emiko turns her anger on Kaoru. Her face turning more red by the second. "And now this?"

"It's nothing." Kaoru says, clearly lying.

"Where's Jack?" I ask, ignoring the drama going on around me. "He should have been here."

"He left a few minutes before you woke up. He knows you're here so I suspect someone will come for you." Kaoru answers me.

It's then that Kaoru gets the message. He shuts up for a few minutes, then telling Takumi to do the same. Emiko just stares at Kaoru, saying nothing. I almost feel sorry for Kaoru, dealing with Emiko's quiet anger. Anako keeps whispering to Emiko in an attempt to calm her down. I admit it's funny to see Takumi so scared by someone at least thirty centimeters smaller than him. A member of staff comes over to ask me a few questions. They figure out that I just fainted, and that I'm free to go, with the usual advice to rest and drink lots of fluids.

"Why did you faint anyway?" Kaoru glances at me from the side of his eyes.

"Just as said, I haven't eaten today."

"That's a lie." He sneers.

"You wouldn't know that already?" Yusei walks into the room. "You read her thoughts often enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaoru sneers back.

"The only reason you're here in the first place is because you read her thoughts." Yusei looks rather pissed off. Kaoru doesn't say anything back. Jack must have mentioned that Kaoru and Takumi were here. The guys know what happened between us, only because I got in the door of the garage and burst into tears. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face after what you did." Kaoru's eyes widen. "Come on, Yuuka, we're leaving." Yusei turns around and starts to walk away. I get up, sighing.

"You better watch out, Fudo." Takumi says. "Team Delta's going to destroy you in the finals. You're not the only person to defeat an entire team by themselves." He tries taunting Yusei, but it doesn't work.

"Then, I guess we'll just defeat you too." I'm actually taken aback by how casually Yusei says this as he walks out the door. Both Kaoru and Takumi just stand there, eyes wide. In that moment, I felt so blessed to have Yusei Fudo as my boyfriend.


	63. I Thought You Were Mine

"Cheers for Team 5D's victory!" Jack calls for a toast. I take a gulp of the can of cider that I bought.

"Cheers!"

"When Jack and Aki lost, I was really nervous!" Rua downs his drink in one go. We got the table for Zora again. Aki helped me cook most of the food. She kept making me sit down on the couch in the kitchen. She doesn't want me fainting again apparently.

"Rua, what are you trying to say?" Jack starts shouting. "You picking a fight during a party?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Rua throws his hands up in a gesture of self-defense. Jack still hasn't recovered his pride since losing to Andore. Will he ever recover his pride? Probably not.

"Stop." Crow sighs, turning to Jack. "There's no need to get angry. He was only telling the truth."

"What?" Jack's attention switches to Crow. Yusei gives me the normal look he gives me when they start fighting. The one that says  _I want my suffering to end_.

"Since I couldn't participate, Team 5D's was a mess." Crow smiles.

"You don't know the effort we put in!" Jack retorts. "You have no right to talk because you didn't participate due to a lame injury!"

"A lame injury? I was really worried about you!" Crow screams while waving his cast enough as to not hurt his arm.

"Jack Atlas doesn't need you worrying about him!"

"When will they stop?" I sigh.

"When one of them is dead." Yusei whispers back.

"I don't even think that would stop them." I shake my head. "One would climb out of the grave if the other one called him an asshole."

"Oh gods, you're right."

"Why does this happen?" Rua sighs next.

"Because you said something unnecessary, Rua." Ruka looks so done with everything, which is relatable.

"C'mon Jack. Don't be angry." The waitress, whose name I learnt is Stephanie, comes between Crow and Jack.

"That's right, Jack." Carly moves beside Stephanie. "Let it go." She pushes Stephanie back in an effort to get closer to Jack. "Wait, what are you doing here? Your store is on the other side!"

"I'm off today!" Stephanie shoots back. "What about you? Shouldn't you be reporting a story?"

"I'm reporting a story by investigating this D-Wheeler!" Carly hugs Jack's arm, who's currently ignoring the situation in front of him.

"You're doing more than investigating!" Mikage points at Carly while shouting. "If you don't let him go, I'll arrest you for public indecency!"

"You're still here? Go back to the Public Maintenance Department!" Carly shouts back at her, and it's at this point at which I start spacing out.

"Do you want a chair?" Yusei asks me.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Your eyes are glazed over, I don't want you fainting again." He explains. "Cause I'll get one if you want."

"Nah, I'm just tired." I sigh.

"I can't tell if we're friends or not." Bruno whispers, looking at the bickering girls.

"It's fine to enjoy our victory." Yusei says. "Over the past year, we gave all our strength for this one victory."

"How special. Team 5D's throws a party just after one victory?" I turn around at the sound of a new voice to see Sherry standing at the open door.

"Sherry…" Yusei mutters.

"You're the person from before." Bruno says as she walks in.

"What's with that arrogant girl?" I hear Carly ask, still standing beside Jack.

"My name is Sherry LeBlanc. I see new faces." Sherry looks at the woman who have focused their attention on Jack.

"Sherry, did you finish your preliminaries?" Yusei's brow furrows.

"Yes." She answers. "Since you rejected me, Mizoguchi and I had to battle by ourselves."

"If it's just the two of you, that means you only have 8000 life points." Bruno says, moving towards the computer.

"That probably cause her to lose." Carly sneers, as Bruno messes with his mouse.

"Sherry, you defeated all three by yourself!?" Bruno exclaims, turning around again. What are the chances of that happening three different times today? First Yusei, now Kaoru  _and_ Sherry?

"She defeated three duelists in conditions harsher than Yusei's?" Aki turns to Crow in disbelief. Geez, those two have been standing  _awfully_  close since we got back. Another thing in my blackmail against Crow pile.

"No big deal." Sherry doesn't seem too bothered by her achievement. "I have a goal that requires me to keep winning in this tournament."

"Do you mean Yliaster?" Yusei asks.

"Yliaster?" Mikage echoes.

"Did you find a lead?"

"Not yet, but I learned that there's a connection between Yliaster and the Ghost that attacked you." Sherry says, causing Yusei to gasp.

"Ghost?" He echoes. "He's powerful. His Machine Emperor card is a Synchro killer. Yliaster was in control of Ghost? They're already around us."

"Oh yeah!" Rua exclaims. "No one made a big deal out of it because the evidence vanished... But a guy named Luciano transferred to our school."

"His five monsters combined to form Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity." Ruka explains.

"Yeah! The number eight appeared, and we couldn't escape from the duel. We took real damage during the duel." Rua says, even though I'm sure it was actually an infinity sign, but he assumed it was an eight from his angle.

"That also happened when my fake appeared." Jack adds. "Real damage occurred then too. That fake was also a robot. And no evidence was left behind then too."

"Do these perfect humanoid robots actually exist?" Ruka questions.

"It's hard to believe, but if you put all the stories together, our enemy has technology that's beyond our imaginations." At this point, I'm not surprised by any of the supernatural shit that happens around me. "Like the factory we saw when our D-Wheel engine program was stolen."

"Yeah, that factory was like a spaceship from a science fiction movie. Was it an Yliaster factory? If so, what were they building?" Crow ponders.

"Something that would use our engine program?" Bruno's eyebrows furrow.

"You two didn't see anything?" Crow looks between Bruno and I.

"A man wearing white robes knocked us out." Bruno confesses. Crow merely tuts at us. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise." I turn to him. "That guy was unnaturally strong." I remember when my kick connected with his arm. It was made of some strange metal, not exactly a material you'd expect of a prosthetic.

"Why is Yliaster targeting us?" Ruka looks to Sherry for an answer.

"Because you're Signers." She states plainly.

"Sherry, you know the legend of the Crimson Dragon?" Yusei's eyes widen.

"Of course." She smirks. "Did you think I would invite you to join my team without knowing?"

"Why are they targeting the Signers?" Jack asks.

"Jaeger!" Crow exclaims. "That freaky clown must know something! He's the one who stole our engine program!"

"Vice Director Jaeger has taken a leave of absence, so he hasn't appeared recently." Mikage explains.

"That punk is hiding! Maybe his boss knows something." Crow moves his hand to his mouth.

"Jaeger's boss is the Director of the Public Maintenance Department. The new Director hasn't shown himself. Who is it?" Jack turns back to Mikage.

"Three Directors have taken over for Director Godwin."

"Three?" Yusei echoes. Something shady is going on here.

"Can we talk to them?" Jack questions.

"No one has met them, except for Vice Director Jaeger."

"What?" Crow squints and tilts his head. "That's weird!"

"You're right." Mikage starts moving towards the door. "Like you said, I think it's worth talking to the Directors. Excuse me." She bows before leaving.

"Me too!" Stephanie says, grabbing Carly's arm.

"It seems we're disturbing you." The two of them run out the door behind Mikage.

"Will they be okay?" Bruno asks.

"They don't know anything." Sherry tuts. "We faced danger to go into the deepest section of the Public Maintenance Department."

"You're talking about the bomb scare." Crow says, stating the obvious.

"What exactly happened at the Public Maintenance Department?" Aki's eyes focus completely on Sherry.

"We were…" Sherry trails off. "We went from the deepest section of the Public Maintenance Department to a completely different place. It wasn't an illusion. The man we met holds the key to everything."

"Is that man pulling the strings for Yliaster?" That machine is a man, then? Bruno called it a man too. That comma shaped machine is really hosting a man inside. I find it hard to believe.

"I don't know. But if I keep winning in this tournament, I believe he'll come for me." Sherry puts on her helmet and mounts her D-Wheel. "Until then, I hope you won't become my enemy, Yusei."

"What do you mean?" Yusei asks.

"Let's meet again." Sherry merely lowers her visor and drives away.

"Maybe Sherry doesn't want to battle against Team 5D's." Aki says.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go up against you guys either." I reply. Bruno slams his hands on the table, slumping over.

"Bruno?"

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Ruka raises a timid, caring hand.

"I was a little dizzy." He starts walking towards the open shutter door. "I'm going outside for some fresh air."

The room is eerily silent then. Yusei steps outside, I join him. We stand there, just staring at the sky. Some chatter comes back into the garage, they've started eating the now slightly cold food.

"If what Sherry says is true, it's only a matter of time before Ghost reappears." Yusei says out of the blue. "I need to know how to use Accel Synchro."

"Yeah." I nod. "I'm scared." I finally admit. "There's so much going on around us. The man inside that machine, Ghost, Yliaster."

"I am too." Yusei sighs. "But we're going to face it together."

"That's true." I answer. "We've already been through so much, we can hardly stop now." My phone starts ringing. It's Kasumi. "Hello?"

"Hey Yuuka. A friend of yours just called over to the house looking for you, he seems quite upset."

"Who is it?" I ask.

"He said his name was Kenta."

"Right, I'm on my way. We can talk more when I get there." I say before hanging up the phone. "Oh boy." I sigh, looking at Yusei.

"Kenta?" Yusei repeats. The volume of calls on my phone is quite loud, he must have heard it.

"Yeah, apparently he's upset about something. Don't know what though." I answer.

"Are you sure you don't know?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not certain." I sigh.

"It has to do with Takumi, I'm guessing." Yusei gives me this knowing look. He knows something I don't. That's what that look says, or that he's caught onto something.

"It always has something to do with that asshole."

* * *

"Kenta's inside." Kaoru says to me when I pull up into the garage.

"You know what this is about, don't you?" I ask.

"It's not my place to tell you."

"Where are you going anyway?" Kaoru has since changed out of his WRGP clothes, opting for his normal red riding jacket.

"Out." I just scoff at his answer, going inside. I can't believe our relationship has gotten to this point. I thought I understood him, you know? You think you'd understand a person after months of hearing each other's thoughts, but  _no_. Kasumi hears us talking, and her head pops out of the kitchen. She sees me and almost tiptoes towards me.

"I don't think your friend is doing very well." Her eyes looks towards the slightly open sitting room door. "He seems very upset about something. He's telling me that it's nothing, despite how many times I've asked."

"I think I know what it is." It's a thought that flashed into my head after the celebration party. Kenta is very rarely upset. In all the time I've known him, it's very rare he shows anything more than annoyance.

"Are you sure you don't want some tea?" Kasumi pops her head into the sitting room. Kenta jumps slightly.

"No thank you, Ms Hattori, I'm good for the minute."

"I told you to call me Kasumi, it's making me feel old." She waves her hand, making a face that I swear I've made before. "I'll leave you two to talk."

"Oh hey." Kenta bites his lip, noticing me.

"Come on, let's go up to my room."

I sit down on my bed. Kenta, having closed the door, stands there nervously.

"You're allowed to sit down, you know?" I pat a spot on the bed beside me. Kenta sits down and stares at his hands. "What's going on?"

"Well." Kenta sighs. "Takumi and I broke up."

"Oh." That's the only thing that comes from my mouth.

"I saw it coming if I'm being honest. We've been fighting non-stop for months." He bites his lips again.

"You knew about Takumi's plan the entire time?" Takumi's smug face flashes in my mind. My fists clench without me realising it. Kenta's flinch makes me realise it.

"Yes. After we fought the first gang, the idea struck him." Kenta shakes his head. "Something about seeing our potential. He tried to talk me around to the idea. Obviously, it didn't work. He stopped talking about it for a while. I think it was after Phantom Riders that he brought it up again. You had defeated Miguel so quickly. I think he realised that we actually could take over the City."

"Is that why for the next gang you did your own thing?" I ask. Kenta seemed so different that day. Someone normally so cautious, throwing that into the wind, only for it to go completely wrong.

"Yes." He answers. "I was just so angry. I told Takumi I was at my breaking point. If he didn't stop, I'd be forced to do something that I didn't want to do."

"You left him?"

"Yes. He didn't seem that upset." Kenta shakes his head, I see tears forming. "He just sat there like it wasn't happening. Like our two year anniversary was coming up, and he acted like he didn't care." I don't know what to say. "I mean, I still have feelings for him, sure. But I just couldn't do it anymore, Yuuka. He's changed a lot. He's not the same Takumi he was a year ago."

His eyes meet mine, full of tears. I feel a small gasp rise from my chest. I see myself. I see that helpless look that I know too well. I've been forced to make the same decision. It's a long, painful decision. One I still bear the scars of. A long line down the center of my chest. A reminder that my decision came too little, too late. The memory of Raiden Kimura will haunt me as long as I live. It's not too late for Kenta. He still has time. Takumi has not gone too far down that dark path. He still has that chance.

"Why did you come here?" With every syllable that falls from my mouth, the answer starts to dawn on me.

"I have nowhere else to go." He sighs. "My dad was okay with the whole being gay and trans thing, but not the psychic thing. Even before we got together, I was crashing on Takumi's couch." Kenta's eyes glaze over, as if in a trance. "He helped me through all that. He put me in contact with that psychic doctor, Nico, and I went on testosterone. I will always be grateful for that. I need to move on. I couldn't stay there anymore."

"Do you know what you need?" I say, standing up. Kenta snaps out of his trance. He tilts his head, unsure of whether to stand up or not. "Stay here." I all but run out of my room. Kasumi shakes her head, smiling as I walk out of the kitchen and back up the stairs again.

"I don't drink." Kenta sighs. I hand him the two wine glasses in my hand.

"You say that now." I read the label of the bottle, not too shabby. "Wine is always good for this kinda stuff. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't do this after the whole thing with Raiden. So, it's a healing experience for the both of us."

"Really?" Kenta raises an eyebrow at me. "Not surprised, considering it's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, opening the bottle.

"You." Kenta moves his eyes from me to stare at the bottle. "Alcohol."

"That's fair." I shoot back. He takes the half-filled glass I give to him, but waits for me to take the first sip. His face contorts as he tastes the wine. "Not used to it, are you?" I laugh, before taking another sip. Wine isn't normally what I drink, but I'll take what I can get. Kasumi loves the stuff, and I'd hardly give vodka to Kenta cause I know that he has a low tolerance.

"Not really." He answers. I go to say that I'm surprised, but I realised that it would be in poor taste considering why he's here. "I've never had red wine before."

"I only started drinking it once I moved back here. Kasumi has a glass the odd night after work." I swirl my glass, seems like a classy wine drinker thing to do. "Not the worst thing in the world."

"Yeah." Kenta agrees. "Don't know how you can stomach vodka, that shit is disgusting."

"Gets you drunk quickly." I take another sip. "When you're like me, that's what you want. My powers stop me from getting drunk easily. Short story, it sucks."

"Is it part of the healing?" He asks and I nod. "Shouldn't affect me then." Kenta downs the rest of the glass, reaching for the wine bottle already. I sigh, this isn't going to end well.

"Okay, let's start from the top." I take a long gulp. "Tell me everything."

"We met just before I got kicked out by my dad. I had just joined the Onyx Slicers."

"Takumi has already told me this, if it helps." I nod slowly, interrupting him. Kenta raises his hand to stop me.

"I still looked like a girl then, but he figured out that I wasn't pretty quickly. He helped me cut my hair and stuff, got me a binder." Kenta fiddles with his fingers. His eyes glaze over as the memories resurface. "We went from just friends to dating pretty quickly. It was all nice and happy. We were just cute, happy boyfriends. I went on T, that was cool. We met you soon after."

* * *

"So, I said  _Takumi, I can't do this anymore_. You know what I mean?" Kenta's face is flushed. I moved the wine bottle just out of his reach, so he'd have to stand up to get it.

"I know, he's an asshole. We've established this by now." I shake my head, smiling. Kenta's tolerance is a lot lower than I remembered.

"You'd swear it would kill him to put the toilet seat down. I know we're both guys, but I can't..." He hands me his wine glass, and makes weird gestures with his hands. "Pee like that?"

"I know, buddy, it's okay." He takes the glass back, and downs a significant portion of it. He's been complaining about Takumi for, at least, the last hour, not that I blame him. "We're going to get you a new boyfriend."

"Yes!" Kenta slams his empty fist on my bed sheets. "One who will treat me right."

"Because that's what you deserve." He snaps his fingers, points at me and smiles. I laugh at Kenta's drunken behaviour. I've decided to stop drinking for the time being. It's up to me to stop Kenta making bad life choices while drunk. A lot of poor life choices stem from alcohol, speaking from experience. "Speaking of which, do you think any boys are cute?" I put my fist underneath my chin and raise an eyebrow. This action causes Kenta to become very flustered, nearly spilling the wine in the attempt to hide his face.

"Maybe." He moves his fingers so I'm able to see one of his eyes.

"C'mon." I scoot closer to him. "Tell me. Who is it? Do I know him? Have you talked at all?"

"Well." Kenta moves his hands into his lap, his face burning hot red. "You know him alright."

"And?" I scoot over more, our shoulders touching. He doesn't move away.

"You know Miguel, right?"

"Phantom Riders' Miguel?" I picture the incredibly tall red-headed Satellite that I dueled for their territory. He seemed like the nicest of all the gang leaders that I met. Though, I would never had pinned him as Kenta's type. "You like tall, kinda muscular guys then?" A grin spreads across my face, causing Kenta to hide his face again.

"I'm gay, Yuuka."

"Oh I know, you didn't have to tell me." I fall backwards, spread out on the bed, laughing.

"It's not funny, Yuuka." He groans. "He's really cute, and he gave me his number."

"He gave you his number? Sounds pretty serious." I sit back up. Kenta stares up at the ceiling. "When did this happen?"

"At, like, that celebration party at Yusei's place." His gaze shifts awkwardly to his lap. "We talked the entire time, he was really nice and cute. Before that whole thing with Takumi happened, we swapped numbers." He shifts a little. "We've been talking a lot, nothing serious obviously. But I think that I actually  _like_ him."

"Oh geez, you caught the feelings." I feel my eyes widen a little. "When's the last time he texted you?"

"This afternoon." Kenta pick up his phone and scrolls through it. "He's busy today preparing for the WRGP. His team's first match is tomorrow."

"You're asking him out for coffee." I say, not giving him room to disagree.

"Yuuka." He whines. "I'm too drunk to do this right now. What if he says no?" I take his phone out of his hand. He falls into my lap in an attempt to get it back.

"Look." I move the phone so he can see what I'm doing. "I'm just reading the messages, I'll type it for you." I try to copy Kenta's texting style as hard as it is. I curse my inability to spell under most circumstances, yet alone while drinking. "Okay. We're saying that you two should meet after his match for coffee. You're not coming off too strong, you're being nice and friendly."

"Now, I stare into the void until he texts me back." Kenta says, lying flat on my bed, staring at the ceiling. He falls asleep in about twenty seconds. I should probably wake him up and tell him that he shouldn't sleep in skinny jeans. Then again, he probably needs that sleep. Kenta ends up lying across my double bed, rather than the normal way. I move the wine and glass far enough away that we won't knock them over. I lie beside him and just stare at the ceiling in my slightly tipsy state.

* * *

"Yuuka." My name slurs out of Kenta's mouth as he shakes me awake. "Yuuka, wake up. He texted me back." I sit back up, having fallen asleep. Morning light filters through the gap in the curtains.

"Shit, what did he say?" I ask. Kenta's face gives me the impression that he's slightly hungover.

"Actually, he texted me while you were asleep, and you wouldn't wake up so I texted him myself. He wants me to be, like, in his team's pit." Kenta shrugs his shoulders and makes a face. "So, of course my gay ass said yes. Now, I need you to drive me to their match."

"Really?" I groan. "Fine." I get up, throwing on my jacket. I managed to fall asleep in my jeans, leaving the imprint of the seam on my leg I'm sure. "If you want a change of clothes, I have stuff from the men's section and there's some stuff in Kaoru's room but that might be too big for you. You gotta look nice today." I avoid saying the word date, but that's what this is.

"Cool." He opens some drawers in my dresser. "You not gonna change?"

"Nah, at this point I'm just used to wearing the same outfit everyday." I pick up my riding pads which I threw on the floor early into the night.

"Miguel said the same thing." Kenta picks out a white t-shirt with some design that I can't see on the front. "Apparently everyone from the Satellite is like that?"

"Yeah, it's true." I move so Kenta can look at the jackets hanging on the back of my door. "You're just gonna have to wear those jeans again, nothing I have will fit you."

"I'll survive." Something resembling a chuckle escapes his mouth.

* * *

"Good luck." I wink as Kenta puts the spare helmet into the tiny storage box in my D-Wheel. He nearly loses his cool. "You'll need it today."

"Don't say it like that. We're just hanging out."

"Sure. You know exactly what this is."

"Shut up." Kenta rolls his eyes. An indistinguishable look appears on his face. "Thank you Yuuka. For everything."

"You're welcome." I smile. We say nothing more than that, we don't have to. I open up my arms. Kenta smiles before hugging me. "Go on, kid. He's waiting for you."


	64. Catastrophe

I hear Crow's voice in the garage as he comes back in. I stare absentmindedly into space as I wait for the kettle to boil. Two of Team Unicorn's riders managed to crash in their next match, disqualifying them. A team that strong not making through the preliminaries seems unfair to me, or maybe that shows how strong the competition is. Those crashes seemed  _off_  from the clips I've seen of them. I feel bile rising in my throat at the thought of all this. My gut instinct is telling that something bigger is happening.

I hear the voice of that one guy from Team Unicorn, Breo I think it was? I stir my coffee as I walk into the basement. I spot a USB stuck into the laptop Bruno was using. Jack and Carly have joined us too.

"What? There was strange data on the D-Wheel memory chip?" Crow turns to Breo.

"I couldn't believe that Jean and Andore would both crash, so I checked it. Look right there." Breo points at a dip in a graph displayed on the screen.

"It's saying that the wheels locked." Yusei raises his eyebrows.

"Locked?" Crow echoes.

"Yes, as if something was caught in the wheels." Bruno explains.

"That would explain why they crashed." Jack adds, but the reality is that, this only raises more questions.

"Does that mean they jammed something into the wheels?" Carly asks.

"But they can't do that during a duel." Breo sighs. You've got to feel sorry for the poor guy. Crow suddenly gasps, remembering something.

"What is it?" I turn to him.

"When my Blackbird crashed, I felt my wheels locking for an instant."

"Does that mean?" I mutter as Bruno brings data up on the screen.

"This is the data." Bruno puts the data from Crow's crash next to Team Unicorn's.

"It's the same." Jack comments.

"It means that they cause the Blackbird to crash!" Crow shakes, his fist clenched. "Damn! I won't forgive them!"

"Calm down, Crow." Yusei raises his hand in an attempt to settle him. "This isn't enough evidence to prove that Team Catastrophe is to blame."

"But how did they do it?" Bruno turns around in the chair. "It's hard to lock the wheels without their opponents noticing."

"And no one saw anything during the duel." If no one saw anything, it's unlikely this was the work of a psychic. It would take an incredibly powerful to use their powers with that level of precision. I doubt even I could do that.

"Oh yeah! I have video of the duel between Unicorn and Catastrophe, so let's look at it!" Carly takes a USB out of her bag. "We might learn something!" Everyone stares at her, I just sigh. "Did I do something wrong?"

"If you have a video, hurry up and show us!" Jack takes the stick rather forcefully. I frown. He should really be nicer to her, given what's going on between them.

"I'm sorry." Carly blurts out.

"This is video of the duel between Andore and Team Catastrophe's Nicholas." Crow says as the first video starts to play. Andore seems to randomly swerve and crash out of nowhere.

"Let's look from another angle." I'm questioning how Carly managed to pull these angles off, but I try not to think too much about it. This time, we look at Andore head on.

"Show that part again." Yusei mumbles. Bruno zooms in and replays the part at which Andore swerves. I can't see a reason why Andore suddenly crashed, or why his wheels locked up.

"I didn't see anything."

"Next is Jean's footage." Bruno sighs, bringing up the next video. "This is the duel between Jean and Team Catastrophe's Hermann." Hermann's monster attacks, causing Jean to swerve.

"Huh? He's already affected. We haven't learned anything." Crow pouts.

"What concerns me is this monster." Yusei points at Team Catastrophe's only monster on the field. "It's already summoned by the time the wheels lock."

"The monster's name is Hook, the Hidden Knight." Bruno explains, bringing the card up on the screen. "Level 4, 1600 attack points, 0 defense points. According to the duel records, Andore crashed when his D.D. Unicorn Knight tried to attack it. Jean crashed during the opponent's turn. It happened right after the monster's effect activated." Bruno replays the footage again. "See? Something just moved."

"This must have something to do with it." Jack nods.

"Jack and Yusei, be careful." Carly says. It's then I realise that Aki's still driving around the highway for practice. "They already attacked Crow. You don't know who they'll attack next."

"Oh no." I mutter.

"Someone isn't here." Crow turns to me. There's a genuine fear in his eyes, and a sinking feeling in my stomach.

* * *

By the time we find her, it's too late. We go into her room in the hospital. I'm frozen in place the moment I see her. She's okay. That's what her parents say. She was found on the highway, already unconscious. Bandages are wrapped tightly around her head. I spot a bruise forming on the side of her face. I wonder if this is how Yusei felt, not once, but twice. A sense of paralysing fear.

"We told her Riding Duels were dangerous." Her father curses, looking towards us as if we're to blame.

"Your daughter has faced worse before." I scoff. "No thanks to you." Her parents seem rather taken back. "You should be supporting her, that's the least you could do. But hey, you can't even seem to do that right." Aki's father scrambles for a response. Only to be interrupted by Yusei's phone ringing. Yusei steps out of the room to answer it. I assume it's Bruno. He went to the scene of the accident to get the data from Aki's D-Wheel. I scoff before following Yusei out of the room.

"Yeah, we're fine." Yusei answers. "I just spoke with Aki's parents. She's badly bruised but her life isn't in danger. How are you? Were you able to retrieve the data? That means…" Jack and Crow enter the hallway.

"There's evidence that the wheels locked." I hear Bruno's voice over the speaker. I feel myself tense. I close my eyes in an attempt to not lose my shit entirely.

"I understand." Yusei pinches the bridge of his nose and hangs up.

"Those punks!" Crow storms off in a fit of rage.

"Crow!" Yusei calls after him.

"Where are you going?" Jack asks.

"I'm going to find them and beat them up!" I start following him.

"Stop, Crow!" Yusei passes me, catching up to Crow. He stands in front him, stopping him in his tracks. "I know how you feel, but if you do that, we're no different from them!" I sigh. They will never learn if we don't take the fight to them. They'll come for Yusei and Jack next. I can't let that happen.

"But we have to do something!" Crow cries out. He looks to me, as if I would be the one to listen. There's a sense of desperation, of guilt.

"We'll deal with them in a duel!" Yusei answers.

"Fine." This seems to quell Crow. "And I'll be the one to deal with them!"

"You?" Jack raises his eyebrows.

"I can't stay quit after what happened to my teammate!" Crow throws his sling to the ground. "Besides if I didn't mess up in the first place, this wouldn't have happened." He throws off his jacket and clenches his fist. "I'll get Aki's revenge!"

* * *

"I still think it's a terrible idea." I say, after calling out Crow outside. "I don't think you're healed enough."

"What do you suppose we do?" Crow's brow furrows. "We can't do this as a two person team."

"I take your place." Crow seems taken aback. "Aki is your friend as much as she is mine."

"Now,  _you're_  being stupid." Crow immediately shoots back. "This is my fight, Yuuka. I owe it to her. She didn't deserve any of this. It's my fault, y'know. None of this would have happened if it weren't for me. I need to make things right, Yuuka. At least give me that. I  _need_ this."

Crow lowers his hand. His eyes pierce mine. There's something there I recognise. Maybe his feelings for Aki were a lot stronger than I had realised. I think Crow just realised that too. Every move of his seems more calculated, more fearful. I close my eyes, sighing.

"There's nothing I can say that will change your mind, right?" A smile breaks out on my face. "As much as I'd like to fight, I'll let you have this one. Besides." I chuckle. "What kind of hypocrite would I be to stop you fighting despite your condition?"

"Thank you, Yuuka." Crow sighs in relief.

"Now, let me just say." Crow's eyes widen slightly. "If you feel the slightest pain, you will pass on the baton, you hear me? If I find out that you don't, you'll have a lot more to worry about than a broken arm."

"Is that a threat?" Crow laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck with his good hand.

"You better believe it."

* * *

"Hello everybody! Are you excited?" The MC's voice booms over the speakers as the crowd cheers. "The World Riding Duel Grand Prix's preliminaries to crown the world's best Riding Duelists are almost over! There's an astounding card today! I'll introduce the teams! The first team won by making Team Unicorn crash! Team Catastrophe!" There's mostly a negative reaction as they walk out, but they still wave anyway. "Facing them is the team led by Fortune Cup winner Yusei Fudo! Team 5D's!" Yusei, Jack and Crow lead us as we walk out into the stadium. The crowd cheers for us. The twins make me wave to the crowd as the rest of us are. Team Catastrophe freak out as they realise Crow is the first wheeler. Crow sports a cheeky grin on his face as he walks over to them.

"Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" The leader of Team Catastrophe turns around to face him. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say hi." There's a glimmer in Crow's eye. "I'll get revenge for Jean, Andore and Aki!" The members of Team Catastrophe turn to each other in a moment of panic. "Oh, and I also have to get my revenge. I don't know what magic you're using, but I won't fall for it twice! Prepare yourself!"

"We should say that to you. Your body just healed, so you should take care of it." The leader of Team Catastrophe steels himself long enough to make a comeback.

"Thanks for the warning. See you later." Crow waves before walking back towards us. He holds his fist out to me for a fist bump.

"They aren't psychics. Be careful." I say.

"No need to worry about me." He has this grin that I recognise from our days at Martha's. The one that was normally followed by shouting from Martha, which lead to Crow and I cleaning the bathroom.

"The match is about to begin!" The MC returns as we settle down inside the pit. "5D's first wheeler is Crow, and it's Hermann for Catastrophe!"

"Speed World 2 set, on." The computer generated voice drones.

"Beating up the injured isn't nice, but I like doing bad things." Hermann taunts. "Don't get mad at me, kid."

"Will Crow be okay?" Ruka turns to us. "His shoulder hasn't healed yet."

"We have no choice because he won't listen to us." Jack sighs.

"It's true." I add. "He didn't even listen to me, his favourite person ever." Yusei and Jack turn and look at me almost instantly. Their deadpan expressions clearly say that they don't agree with me, and, personally, I'm offended.

"Crow will be okay." Rua comforts.

"Rua's right." I turn to look at Ruka. "Crow's too stubborn."

"It's about to start." The MC screams as the countdown begins. "Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The pair burst forth from the starting line. "Whoa! Crow is off to a slow start!"

"Crow!" The twins cry. I grit my teeth. Already?

"I can withstand this pain." I hear him mutter before he accelerates.

"He's speeding up and catching up to Hermann! Crow and Hermann have entered the first corner simultaneously!" Hermann purposefully knocks into Crow. "This is a fierce battle to see who goes first!" Hermann elbows Crow in his bad shoulder in an attempt to get ahead."Whoa! Crow is behind! Hermann took the first corner!"

"That was dirty!" I grit my teeth.

"The duel now begins!" The MC proclaims. "Hermann goes first!"

"Duel!" They chant simultaneously.

"My turn." Hermann declares. "I summon Hook the Hidden Knight(ATK:1600)." Gasps fill the pit. "I set one card and end my turn."

"I was waiting for that crooked monster! I'll defeat you! My…" Crow flinches as his arm moves towards his deck. I sigh, feeling the pain in his aura. "My turn!" Their Speed Counters appear on the large screen. "I summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(ATK:2000)!"

"Good!" Rua grins. "Sirocco the Dawn has higher attack points!"

"Sirocco the Dawn is a high Level monster, but I can summon it without tribute when only the opponent has monsters!" Crow explains. "Bring it on! I'll find out how you lock the wheels! Sirocco the Dawn attacks Hook the Hidden Knight! Dark Wing Slash!"

"Crow is attacking." Jack states the obvious. "Watch closely." The footage of the Team Unicorn duel showed one of them crashing after attacking this monster. Will it happen again? I hope not.

"That attack can't defeat me!" Hermann exclaims. "I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's effect! Shadow Hook! If you attack this card when it's in attack position, both of our monsters switch to defense position(ATK-DEF:1600-0/2000-900)!"

"Defense position?" Crow echoes.

"Since they're both in defense position, the battle is negated!" The MC explains.

"When Hook the Hidden Knight switches from attack to defense position, you take 800 points of damage." Hermann grins deviously. "Take it!" A bright light surrounds Crow, leaving him with 3200 life points. I jolt, feeling Crow's aura twinge. That was real damage. As the light starts to fade, he stabilises.

"Whoa! Crow lost his balance! Will we see the same tragedy that happened to Team Unicorn?" My eyes widen as I spot a hook emerge from the shadow of Crow's D-Wheel, reaching for the wheel. Crow swerves to the right, dodging it. I gasp. "Crow managed to survive!" The MC screams.

"It was that monster's hand!" "Impossible!" Everyone exclaims in unison. "How can it come out of the shadows?"

"I don't know, but there's no mistake!" Yusei grits his teeth.

"That's creepy." Ruka holds a hand to her face.

"That monster isn't a Solid Vision hologram?" Rua mutters.

"I set four cards and end my turn!" Crow tuts. Their D-Wheels race past the pits.

"Crow is rushing this battle." Jack comments.

"His shoulder must hurt more than we thought." I sigh.

"I won't miss this time. My turn." Hermann starts his turn as their Speed Counters increase to 2. "I switch Hook the Hidden Knight to attack position(DEF-ATK:0-1600). Then, I summon Dark the Hidden Knight(ATK:800)! This card can attack you directly. Dark the Hidden Knight attacks you directly!" Crow's life points drop to 2400.

"Crow!" Rua cries.

"Then, Hook the Hidden Knight attacks Sirocco the Dawn! Devil Hook!" Hermann declares.

"Here it comes!" I feel my entire body clench. The tension releases when Crow dodges the hook for a second time. I see Crow move his hand to his bad shoulder.

"You punk…" Hermann scoffs.

"Whoa! What happened? Is there a problem with Crow's D-Wheel?" The MC questions as if what's going isn't visible.

"I set one card and end my turn." Hermann's mouth forms a solid line.

"Did you see that Yusei?" Bruno turns in the chair.

"Why is a shadow attacking?" Yusei ponders.

"He can't battle with that shoulder! Make him make a pit stop!" Jack turns to Rua, who in turn, runs off to flash the sign at Crow before he passes us again.

"They want him to make a pit stop! There must be a problem with his Blackbird!" The MC roars.

"Crow, make a pit stop! Leave the rest to me!" Jack stands up, shouting at Crow as he approaches us.

"No! I'll at least destroy this monster!" Crow roars back at him.

"Crow!" Jack exclaims as Crow passes by us.

"Crow ignored the pit stop and kept going!" The MC says in disbelief.

"Yusei!" Ruka turns to Yusei in confusion.

"This is Crow's decision. Let's believe in him." Yusei puts on a smile.

"I won't be held responsible for what happens to him!" Jack crosses his arms, rolling his eyes. I just sigh.

"My turn!" Crow declares as his Speed Counters reach 3. "I activate the trap, Blackback! I can Special Summon a Black Feather Monster from my graveyard with 2000 or less attack points! I summon Black Feather - Sirocco the Dawn(ATK:2000)! Then, I Special Summon Black Feather - Gale the Whirlwind(ATK:1300)! When a Black Feather Monster is on my field, I can Special Summon it from my hand! I activate Gale the Whirlwind's effect! Once per turn, your monster's attack and defense points are halved! I halve Hook the Hidden Knight's attack points, and Gale the Whirlwind attacks it(ATK:1600-800)! Black Scratch!"

"But if he attacks it, it will use its effect again." Rua turns to us in confusion.

"Maybe he wants that." I answer. Rua stares at me in confusion. "Watch and see."

"You never give up." Hermann scoffs. "I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's effect. When it's attacked while in attack position, this card and the attacking monster both switch to defense position (ATK-DEF:800-0/1300-400)! Then due to its effect, you take 800 points of damage!" Crow's life points drop to 1600. Crow lifts his D-Wheel in air to miss the hook, once again, appearing from the shadows. "He's unbelievable."

"That's why he shouldn't have attacked it!" Rua turns back to me, not seeing Crow's logic.

"But that monster is now in defense position." I explain. "That monster can't be defeated as long as it's in attack position. But if it's in defense position, it can't use its effect to negate the battle."

"So Crow did that to switch his monster to defense position!" Ruka exclaims, and I smile.

"Sirocco the Dawn attacks Hook the Hidden Knight!" Crow declares. "Dark Wing Slash!"

"That's not going to work!" Hermann smirks. "I activate Dark the Hidden Knight's effect! When a monster in defense position is attacked, I can switch it to attack position by tributing this card(DEF-ATK:0-800)."

"Ah, it's in attack position again!" Rua grits his teeth.

"Then, I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's effect(ATK-DEF:800-0/2000-900)!" I clench my fist, knowing the shadow hook will appear again. I see it sneak up from the ground. The wheels on the Blackbird extend, propelling it off the ground. The hook extends, an arm, and a body of a monster appearing after it. It reaches for the Blackbird, barely missing it.

"That monster was hiding in the shadow!" Bruno exclaims.

"Since I know your tricks, it won't work!" Crow grins as he lands.

"But you take 800 points of damage!" Hermann sneers as Crow drops to 800 life points. He's at the safety line now, he needs to be careful.

"Here I go!" Crow is still grinning regardless. "I send Black Feather - Etesian of Two Swords from my hand to the graveyard to activate its effect! When a Black Feather fails to destroy a monster in battle, you take damage equal to its attack points!" This leaves Hermann with 2000 life points.

"What incredible offense and defense!" The MC shouts in awe. "Crow took 1600 points of damage in order to deal 2000 points of damage!"

"Well done, Crow!" Rua cheers.

"Then I activate the trap, Urgent Tuning! I can Synchro Summon one Synchro Monster during the Battle Phase!" Crow declares.

"I won't let you do that! I activate the Continuous Trap, Shadow Concealing Darkness! Monsters in defense position can't be destroyed in battle!" I grit my teeth. Of course, it couldn't be  _that_  easy.

"Level 3 Gale the Whirlwind tunes Level 5 Sirocco the Dawn! Black whirlwind, your secret thoughts appear on your wings! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Black Feather Dragon(DEF:1600)!"

"Good! It's Crow's ace monster!" Rua pumps his fist.

"But why is it in defense position?" Ruka questions. Crow must have a trick or two up his sleeve, he always does.

"You tightened your defense because you know you can't win." Hermann taunts.

"That's not what I did!" Crow has this smirk on his face, my instinct was right. "I activate the trap, Defenders Intersect! During the Battle phase, we both negate a defense monster's effects until the end of this turn, and they're switched to attack position (DEF-ATK:0-800/1600-2800)!"

"Good! Now he can't use his Shadow Hook effect!" Yusei smiles.

"And if it's in attack position, he can deal damage." Bruno adds.

"2800 attack points?" Hermann's eyes widen slightly.

"He only has 2000 life points left! Crow will win!" Jack grins.

"I will never forgive you! How dare you hurt Jean, Andore and Aki!" The wings of Black Feather Dragon turn black as Crow speaks. "Black Feather Dragon attacks Hook the Hidden Knight! Noble Stream!"

"I activate the trap, Revival Kight!" Hermann interrupts as his life points hit 0.

"It's over!" The MC cheers. "Crow made a come from behind victory! According to the tournament rules, the duel enters the End Phase!"

"Hooray!" Rua cheers.

"I won't lose like this!" Hermann shouts. "I activate Revival Knight's effect! At the End Phase, I can Special Summon a Knight in defense position that was destroyed in battle this turn(DEF:0)." He cackles. "I won't let you destroy this monster! Taste the power of a shadow card!"

"Shadow card?" Yusei echoes. Shadows extend, creating another monster which reaches for the Blackbird.

"I activate the trap Gravity Collapse!" Crow interrupts. "By sending one Synchro Monster on my field to the graveyard, I can negate the summoning of a monster that has equal or fewer attack points and destroy it!"

"What?" Hermann exclaims.

"Can it be?" Bruno mutters as Hook the Hidden Knight is destroyed.

"Alright Crow!" Yusei cheers.

"You destroyed Hook the Hidden Knight!" Jack pumps his fist.

"I'm at my limit." Crow's voice is quiet over the sound system as he holds his shoulder. He better turn in now or he's going to get it from me. As if hearing my mental threat, Crow pulls into the pit.

"Crow makes a pit stop with 800 life points left!" The MC shouts. "Did something happen to the Blackbird?" We all run over to Crow, knowing that Jack is up next.

"I got their revenge." Crow says, taking off his helmet. He shakes like he's in serious pain. He hands the team logo to Jack, who takes it.

"Leave the rest to me, Crow!" Jack says, running to his D-Wheel and putting his helmet on.

"Team 5D's switches to their second wheeler Jack Atlas! According to the rules, if you pass the baton when you still have life points left, you forfeit those life points! Therefore, Jack starts with 4000 life points! Team Catastrophe also passes the baton to their second wheeler!" The MC explains.

"Oh geez!" Crow exclaims as I stick an ice pack underneath his jacket. "Did you have to do that? You could have warned me! Geez!"

"Let's battle, Jack Atlas!" Nicholas, their second wheeler, says.

"You're so disrespectful that you used a shadow card!" Jack scoffs. "Jack Atlas will teach you what a real duel is about!"

"Duel!" They chant in unison.

"My turn!" Nicholas takes the first turn, their Speed Counters at 4. "I set one card and end my turn."

"One set card?" Bruno questions, as they race past the pits.

"He's not going to summon a monster?" Crow raises an eyebrow. That set card must be important.

"Do you think you can beat Jack Atlas with one set card? My turn!" Jack shouts. "I send Level 2 Dread Dragon in my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon Power Giant(ATK:2200)! I can Special Summon it by lowering its Level equal to that of the Level 4 or below monster that I sent to the graveyard(LV:6-4)! Go, Power Giant! Attack him directly!"

"It's coming!" Nicholas interrupts. "I activate the trap, Doom Ray! When your monster attacks me directly, we both take 800 points of damage for every card in my hand!"

"Since he has five cards in his hand, 800 times 5 equals…" Rua starts counting on his hands.

"4000 points!" Ruka exclaims, doing the math for him.

"If he does that, both players will have 0 life points!" Rua's eyes flicker around in a panic.

"What are you thinking?" Jack sneers.

"Jack Atlas, you and your D-Wheel will crash due to the power of the shadows!" Nicholas cackles. What is he talking about?

"Power of the shadows?" Jack echoes.

"Hook the Hidden Knight isn't the only shadow card." Nicholas smirks.

"No way! That trap card is also a shadow card?" Yusei exclaims. A bright light fills the track. I can make out skulls floating around their D-Wheels.

"Jack!" I hear his screams of pain. I feel my temples throb. I raise a hand to my forehead.

"What? Why am I also affected?" I hear Nicholas scream.

"Jack…" Crow mutters.

"I activate Power Giant's effect! When this card battles, I don't take effect damage!" I hear Jack exclaims. I squint and see a forcefield surrounding Jack. I close my eyes at the sound of an explosion. I open them to see a smoke cloud. Something flies from the cloud, hitting the barrier. Engine parts litter the track.

"Jack!"

Jack flies out of the smoke cloud on his D-Wheel, carrying Nicholas.

"Jack Atlas won't lose to the power of the shadows!" Jack declares, as the crowd cheers.

"It's over!" The MC roars, making my head hurt more. "Nicholas' D-Wheel took serious damage! He can't pass the baton to the next wheeler, so his team is eliminated! With two consecutive victories, Team 5D's advances to the finals!"

"Why did you save me?" The audio still continues playing from the track. Nicholas stands next to the Wheel of Fortune.

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Jack points directly at Nicholas. "It's because you aren't worthy of dying! A duel is a clash between souls. You don't believe in your own cards and resort to using shadow cards. You have no right to duel!" Nicholas sighs, hanging his head in shame.

"Jack…" Yusei mutters.

My vision starts to cloud over. A familiar churning feeling in my stomach returns. My hands start shaking. I blink and for a second, I see that man from that strange factory. The one that knocked me out, the one made of steel. My heart starts racing. I know this feeling. I know what it means.

"We won!" Crow cheers. "Team 5D's is going to the finals. We need to take a picture for Aki." Crow looks to me and his eyes widen. "Yuuka, your nose is bleeding." My hand fumbles to my face. My fingerprints are stained a wet crimson. The feeling of bile in my throat returns. I start coughing. Blood splatters onto my hands and drips down my chin.

"Come on, Yuuka. I'll take you to the infirmary." Yusei gently grabs my arm and helps me stand. My whole body has started shaking. It's a struggle to stand. Bruno grabs my other arm in an attempt to stabilise me. The Machine Emperors flash in my mind. I hear screams of men, women and children alike. I cough again. This time, blood splurts directly onto the ground. I feel my knees collapse.

"Where did you get that card?" I turn around to see Sherry grabbing Nicholas by the front of his riding suit. "Was it Yliaster?" I look to Yusei. The throbbing in my head becomes uncontrollable. The last thing I see is the man within the machine in that vast, white emptiness.


	65. Night of a Thousand Stars

"It's over! Yuuka Hattori has made a come from behind victory!" The crowd cheers just for me. "She claims the winning move in this tournament." I stop my D-Wheel just in front of the pits. My body seems to move of its own accord.

"Yuuka!" Aki throws her arms around my neck as soon as I take my helmet off. A blonde mop of hair falls around me. It's mine, I realise. It tumbles down to my waist, far longer than my actual hair. "We did it!" Aki seems different then I remember. There's a youthfulness to her face, or maybe it's the bangs she had back at Duel Academy. Another D-Wheel stops just short of mine. Aki takes her arms away, so I can look behind me. Its rider disembarks, making his way over to me.

"Since when did my little cousin get so strong?" Kaoru takes his helmet off as he smiles with a hint of melancholy. Cousin? But…

"Yuuka." Yusei takes my attention away from Kaoru. His hair is longer in back, just like in my dreams.

"You did good, babe." I hear Takumi's voice, I look over to him just as he kisses Kaoru's cheek. Wait  _what?_

"Yuuka, are you okay?" Kaoru looks at me, confused. The stadium becomes eerily quiet all of a sudden. Everyone around me becomes frozen in time. I look around me for an answer. She stands there on the track. Dressed head to toe in black. I stare at the mirror image of myself. Her long blonde hair curling at her waist is the only thing that separates us. I can't make out the emotion on her face. I feel my heart race as the world moves me closer to her. I collide with her and everything turns white.

I return to the vast emptiness, nothing but white. The man inside the machine appears again. He spins ever so slowly that I'm convinced my mind is playing tricks on me.

"Humanity is an endless cycle of creation of destruction." A voice says. "You are on a path to an inevitable future. It is Yliaster's job to fix that."

Yliaster.

"What they say is wrong." Another voice speaks. "The future can be changed. All hope is not lost. I believe in these kids. They can save our world."

The machine faces me. I tilt my head slightly, realising that he's upside down. Or maybe I'm upside down. The ceiling and floor look the exact same. I can't tell. My right arm starts stinging again. No ominous light flashes.

"You are foolish. Humanity has gone too far. Yliaster will put things right in this world. Even if it means sacrificing this City."

I look back to the machine, only to find that he has disappeared. A Machine Emperor stands in its place. Everything around me fades to black. This one is different from the others. It stands tall, its orange body shining in the darkness. For a split second, my Earthbound Immortal appears. A wall of flames erupts around me. I feel an unshakable fear in my stomach. I hear screams, then nothing. Yusei reaches his hand out for me as it attacks.

I jump awake, nearly falling off the bed in the process. I push my hair off my forehead. I rub my hand off my chin, smearing fresh blood onto my hand. My breath catches in my throat. The infirmary again. I hop off the bed in a fit of panic. I hear the nurses call after me, but I ignore them. I run down the halls, following the noises of the crowd. I crash into Yusei, nearly knocking us both over.

"Yliaster." Tears start falling down my face. "Their screams. I hear them die."

"What are you talking about?" Yusei brushes some hair out of my face while keeping me in one arm.

"Yliaster are going to destroy the City. They'll stop at nothing until there's nothing left of us." Yusei's face hardens. His eyes close.

"I know." He places his hands on either side of my face. "Don't worry. We'll stop them together."

* * *

"You're going to Peru?" Crow raises an eyebrow at me.

"Of course I am." I answer. "The last time one of us got a letter asking us to come to a desert location, it ended badly. So, this time I'm going and make sure those two are okay. Besides, that message seemed very cryptic so I know Jack's gonna get himself in trouble."

"If anything, Yuuka." Jack interrupts. "We'll be taking care of you since you've fainted twice in like a week."

"Excuse you." I whip around to face him, my hair flying into my face. "Neither of those were my fault."

"It's your own fault for not eating breakfast." Jack huffs at the excuse I've given for my fainting spells. Yusei gives a look, as if to tell me that he's not buying it. I fainted and coughed up blood just as the hoard of Diablo showed up at the end of the match. The only reason I wasn't taken to the hospital was that the power had only just come back on in the stadium when I woke up. There's some weird spiritual shit happening, and I don't want everyone being worried about me. Aki's in the hospital, still barely conscious. In my last visit, she seemed as if she was close to waking. Her aura was reacting to me just being in the room.

"Yuuka, we're going to the Nazca lines." Yusei sighs, bringing my attention to him. "That will probably make you faint at some point, given your history."

"I don't care, I'm going and you can't stop me. Besides, they speak Spanish there and do you two speak Spanish? I don't think so, you're going to need me anyway." My eyebrows furrow.

" _Yuuka._ " Yusei uses that pleading tone with me.

"Nope, you can't make change my mind. I'm gonna buy my plane tickets right now and you can't stop me."

* * *

"Oh my gods, it's too hot, I'm going to die." I fan myself with a brochure I found on a help desk.

"Yuuka, we're in Peru during the dry season. What did you expect?" Jack stares at me. I can tell he's already done with my shit.

"I put on lighter clothes, and I'm still dying. I don't know how you two are coping right now." Yusei and Jack, being generally who they are as people, are wearing their normal clothes. I've swapped my regular outfit for lighter maroon trousers and a light pink and white shirt. I'll be able to wear my riding pads for the journey to where Bommer lives, but it's still light enough that I won't die of heatstroke. My genius isn't appreciated enough, I swear.

"Jack, it's like forty degrees, give her a break." Yusei sighs as we wait in the queue to claim our D-Wheels back. I slick back my bangs that have started sticking to my forehead. I fix the hairpins keeping it in place. Yusei has pointed out how weird it is seeing my forehead, given how I've always had bangs. Jack agrees. But given I feel like death, I'll keep my forehead out with a high, tight bun, please and thank you.

"If you faint because of a heat stroke, it's your own fault." Jack tuts. I can tell deep  _deep_  down Jack is somewhat grateful that I'm here. He's nearly gotten us lost twice since we've been here.

"Sure sure, whatever you say Jack." I answer back.

* * *

"I never thought that I would see these horrible drawings again." Jack says as we reach the Nazca lines.

"Me too." I answer. I can feel the dark energy of the Earthbound Immortals stirring deep beneath the earth. My skin tingles and itches, though I blame that on the scorching sun. There's a noticeable silence between all of us. Anything to do with the Dark Signers gets brought up around me, this happens. They're afraid I'd start crying, I reckon. While not an unreasonable assumption, a part has come to terms with what happened.

"I'm surprised Crow approved the travel expenses." Jack says, changing the topic.

"It took a lot of work to convince him, but he finally approved the travel expenses." Yusei responds. "But I don't know about your coffee budget." He says, turning to smirk at Jack. Despite Jack now  _occasionally_ drinking instant coffee if forced to, the amount of money he spends is still ridiculous."Anyway, I'm surprised Bommer is out here, of all places."

"Hm, a message from a dream is stupid. However…" Jack's words make me sigh. If only he knew. Prophetic dreams are a terrifying thing.

"This is what Bommer's e-mail said: If Jack Atlas doesn't find a new way to battle, he'll perish due to his own power." Yusei explains.

"It's like a cliche from a fake fortuneteller." Jack scoffs. "But he's right. I've been thinking of a new way to battle for days. And I've reached a conclusion."

"You'll battle by using power to apply pressure?" Yusei glances at Jack from the side of his eyes. I spot a temple on the horizon, we're here.

"Yeah, that's the only way." Jack answers.

"Is it really?" I ask. If that's supposedly bringing about his doom, shouldn't he really be looking for other solutions?

"But Jack, I think you're unsure whether that's really the best way to battle. That's why you're here." We pull up to the temple, the kind I've seen in history. Bommer stands at the top, waving to us. "Bommer!" Yusei greets him with a smile. We disembark from our D-Wheels as Bommer comes down the steps to meet him.

"Yusei." He puts out his hand for Yusei to shake. "Thanks for coming." Yusei moves his helmet in his arms to shake his hand. "Jack, long time no see." Jack accepts his handshake. "And you must be Yuuka, it's nice to meet you." Bommer puts his hand out for me to shake, confusing me.

"It's nice to meet you too." I shake his hand, nervously.

"I came because of your practical joke." Jack's statement cause Bommer to chuckle.

"What's this temple?" Yusei turns his attention to the temple. Steps lead up to an altar. The stone is carved into dragons at the bottom of the steps. I recognise this dragon from somewhere. Given the fact I spent some time researching the Crimson Dragon after the Fortune Cup, I realise it's probably from that.

"I built it to appease the Earthbound Immortals that have returned to this land as geoglyphs." Bommer explains.

"Appease the Earthbound Immortals…" Yusei echoes. This does nothing to quell the dark energy beneath the earth. I feel them crying out to be released. I hear children laughing. Two kids run out from the cottage besides the temple, towards us.

"They're my siblings, Max and Annie," Bommer smiles as they come closer to us.

"You've reunited with your family, Bommer. That's great!" Yusei says as the children stop in front of Jack.

"Hooray! It's the King!" Max cheers.

"I'm not the King!" Jack's glares send poor Max running behind Bommer.

"I'm sorry," Bommer sighs, "When the Earthbound Immortals took their souls, they don't remember anything during that time." The poor children, getting dragged into that mess. "That's why they still think that Jack Atlas is the King. Actually, Max-"

"Be quiet, Bommer! Your brother is correct!" Jack shouts, pointing at the sky. "There's only one King! Jack Atlas!" The kids clap at Jack's signature action and catchphrase. I cringe at the campiness of it.

"Having a family is great." Bommer says more to himself than anything. I catch Yusei looking at me from the corner of my eye. I smile back at him.

"I should probably explain myself first." Bommer says as he brings us into the cottage. He gestures us to the table in the centre of the room. We sit down at the table together. I hear Max and Annie talking outside. Bommer takes a deep breath before speaking. "After the battle, when I reunited with my siblings in my hometown, I finally was happy again. The three of us left on a journey to search for a new goal. But before long, I realised that I wasn't travelling to find a new goal. I was travelling in order to escape from my crimes."

"Bommer, you're wrong. You don't need to feel guilty." Yusei shoots back almost immediately. He had told how Bommer had become a Dark Signer. It was only a matter of time before he pulled out his usual dialogue.

"But I couldn't forgive myself." Bommer continues regardless. "Everyone makes mistakes. One choice is to forget about my mistakes and move on. But I made a different choice. I decided to move on while holding onto my mistakes." The more Bommer speaks, the more I'm reminded of my own story.

"Hold onto your mistakes?" Yusei echoes. He glances at me quickly, but I don't meet his eyes.

"That's right," Bommer nods, "Instead of running away, I would face my mistakes. That led me and my siblings to this land." Bommer meets my eyes. For a second, I swear I see his eyes widen, realising the reason why I'm here. "After the battle between the Signers and Dark Signers, the Earthbound Immortals were sealed away. But there's no guarantee that a different evil won't try to use the Earthbound Immortals again. This land seals away various spirits. We built a temple to appease the Earthbound Immortals and the other spirits. We decided to stay here as their guardians. But recently... Livestock have died for unknown reasons in various villages. People say it's because of the Crimson Devil."

"Crimson Devil?" Jack raises an eyebrow.

"A few spirits must have escaped from the earth," Bommer nods again, "Something is trying to resurrect from this land." I was able to tell that myself. The spirits in the earth are restless. They cry for someone to release them.

"Is this related to Yliaster's exploits in Neo Domino City?" Yusei's fist clenches as if Bommer would know the answer.

"Are the evil god and Earthbound Immortals going to resurrect?" Jack asks a more reasonable question.

"I don't know," Bommer shakes his head, "But it may be impossible to seal everything. That's when I dreamed about you Jack. This isn't coincidence. I was able to sense it because the evil god overtook my soul in the past." Bommer felt like the Earthbound Immortal possessed him? Interesting. Not how I'd describe my experience. "The dream was a premonition. According to that dream, you're going to perish due to your own power, Jack. If you keep relying on power and don't change your ways in battle, you'll eventually fail. This dream could be a revelation to stop that from happening. It's telling you to find a battle technique that's the opposite of power."

"I also thought about this a lot!" Jack smacks his fist on the table, leaning forward in his seat. "But my only battle strategy is to keep applying pressure with power!"

"Then show me that power!" Bommer's eyes narrow. "Convince me that Jack Atlas is power! In a Riding Duel."

* * *

Bommer asks us to light lamps in a line to substitute for a duel lane. I drive my D-Wheel around, lighting them one at a time. Thankfully, I don't have to light every single lamp. Each lamp is connected by a rope drenched in oil, so if you light a lamp, that rope and the next lamp also become lit. It's a very therapeutic experience. I feel like I'm ready to burn everything left behind by the ex I never had in an attempt to move on with my life. The temporary duel lane twists and turns all over the place. Bommer says that it forms the shape of the orca geoglyph, the mark he bore back then. Yusei and I pull back up in front of the temple at the same time.

"We did as you asked." Yusei says, disembarking from his D-Wheel.

"Thanks for your help, both of you." Bommer nods.

"It's fine, but..." Yusei takes my torch from me, placing both of them in the bucket of water beside Bommer, extinguishing them. "Why do you want a geoglyph?"

"It's a substitute for a duel lane. Since it's bright, it'll be easier to see." Bommer explains.

"Still…" Yusei looks back towards me. I think Yusei is used to my way of dealing with what happened, which is ignoring it completely. I get lots of criticism for it, so I ignore that too.

"I'm ready, Jack." Bommer shouts to Jack who remained sitting on the temple steps.

"Me too!" Jack puts his helmet on and moves his D-Wheel to where we're standing. "We can start anytime you want, Bommer."

"No." Bommer turns to Max. My head pains for a split second as the spirits lying beneath the temple stir. "Jack, Max will be your opponent."

"What?" Jack's eyes narrow. "What's the meaning of this?"

"A child shouldn't battle Jack." Yusei interjects.

"Are you making fun of me?" Jack raises his voice.

"Of course not. He's the perfect opponent to bring out all your powers." Bommer answers.

"But I just looked at Max's deck." Jack exhales through his nose.

"I'll do it! Nothing will make me happier than dueling the King!" Max says. His eyes seem a little glossed over, but I let it slide.

"Well said, Max." Bommer moves, heading for the starting line.

"Max…" Annie mutters beside me. Yusei meets my eyes, a clear sense of confusion in his eyes.

"Jack, show the land your power!" Bommer shouts, pointing down the path of the track once they reach the starting line.

"Set Speed World 2!" Max declares.

"Duel Mode, on." The familiar computer generated voice drones.

"Riding Duel!" Bommer starts.

"Acceleration!" Jack and Max chant in unison as they set off. Yusei switches on his D-Wheel, letting us view the duel on the monitor.

"I'll let you have the corner!" Jack says, letting Max take the first turn.

"My turn!" Max starts. "I summon Freedom Bird in defense position(DEF:0). I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn!" Jack declares as their Speed Counters increase for the first time. "When monsters are only on the opponent's field, I can Special Summon Vice Dragon from my hand(ATK:2000). When Vice Dragon is Special Summoned due to this effect, its attack and defense points are halved(ATK:2000-1000)!"

"When you summon or Special Summon a monster onto your field, Freedom Bird's effect lets me Special Summon one Freedom Bird from my deck in defense position(DEF:0)!" Max interrupts.

"I summon Dark Resonator(ATK:1300)!"

"I Special Summon a third Freedom Bird(DEF:0)!" Max interjects again.

"Level 3 Dark Resonator tunes Level 5 Vice Dragon! The ruler's heartbeat will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"Red Daemon's Dragon's effect burns all monsters in defense position." Bommer comments.

"I'll show you the power that's known worldwide!" Jack shouts. "Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Freedom Bird! Due to its effect, all monsters in defense position are destroyed! Daemon Meteor! You're not quaking in fear. I admire your courage." I hear the smirk in Jack's voice. "I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Max declares. "When monsters are only on the opponent's field, I can Special Summon Bewitching Butterfly(ATK:800). Bewitching Butterfly is destroyed when there's a monster on your field with more attack points."

"Why did you choose to self-destruct?" Jack questions. This kid must obviously have a strategy.

"I Special Summon a second Bewitching Butterfly and destroy it(ATK:800)." Max continues.

"What?"

"And a third!" He declares. "Then, I summon Ancestor Bird in defense position(DEF:0)! When there are three monsters in my graveyard with the same name, Ancestor Bird can't be destroyed." Case in point.

"What?" Jack exclaims. "Red Daemon's Dragon's power had been sealed away? That's why he was sacrificing cards with the same name!"

"I set one card and end my turn."

"His deck is tailored to stop Jack's power deck. He's doing surprisingly well." Yusei comments. It's true, though Jack does notoriously bad against anti-power decks. The D-Wheels fly past us. Pain shoots into my temples again. I swear if the Earthbound Immortals keep doing this to me for the entire trip, I swear that I'm going to claim the power of the Crimson Dragon for myself and fight the entire pantheon of the Earthbound Immortals by myself.

"My turn!" Jack declares as their Speed Counters climb to 3. "I summon Lancer Archfiend(ATK:1600)! Max, Red Daemon's Dragon's red soul will burn up your shallow strategy! Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Ancestor Bird! Lancer Archfiend's effect activates! When my monster attacks, it deals piercing damage! My crimson power destroys everything! Absolute Powerforce!"

"You're determined to use power to win?" Bommer shouts at Jack. The pain still lingers in my temples. Yusei makes me sit on his D-Wheel.

"I flip over the two Smoke Mirror trap cards!" Max interrupts Jack's turn. "When there are three monsters in my graveyard with the same name, one of my monster's defense points increase by one of your monster's attack points until the End Phase. Ancestor Bird gains Red Daemon's Dragon's power and now has 6000 defense points(DEF:0-6000)!"

"What?" Jack exclaims. Fire erupts from the mirror conjured by the card. It swallows Red Daemon's Dragon whole.

"This is…" Bommer mutters. Red Daemon's stretches out its wings. Its body is now completely composed of fire. It flies towards Jack.

"Crimson Devil…" I hear Jack's voice on the speaker, as his life points drop instantly to 3000.

"Jack!" Yusei shouts. Flames hover around the Wheel of Fortune, causing it to swerve off the course. It jumps before crashing and landing on its side, Jack thrown from it like a ragdoll. We starts running over to him, luckily not too far from where we were.

"Jack!" I shout, as we approach him.

"Are you okay?" Max asks as we come to a stop.

"Don't touch me!" Jack swats his hand away. My brows furrows. I see Jack's expression falter for a split second. "That wasn't enough to take away my power!" He stands up and walks towards his D-Wheel.

"Jack, I'm sorry." Bommer sighs. "I just wanted you to rethink the way you battle instead of relying on power."

"I won't abandon power!" Jack shouts before taking off.

* * *

I sit at the top of the temple, overlooking the Nazca plain. Jack took off hours ago. I let him go. He needs to clear his head. Yusei was a bit more apprehensive. I left Bommer and Yusei to catch up in the cottage. I sigh. I've tried meditating, to no avail. The spirits in the earth call for me. Images from that old dream start to surface again. It feels like a million years ago that I tried to figure out what those rainbow lights were and why Kiryu was there. I suppose there are some demons that never leave us. If I concentrate hard enough, I can pinpoint each of the spirits. Something that resembles Carly's aura is not too far from where I'm sitting.

"Mind if I join you?" Bommer's voice breaks my concentration.

"Sure, go ahead." He takes a seat beside me on the top step, his feet resting on two steps below mine. He stays silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. I already know what he's going to say.

"You were apart of that battle too, weren't you?"

"I was," I sigh, "Unfortunately." I focus on Bommer's aura, trying to find the spirit that matches it. Then, I realise something. "Were you in the Old Momentum in the Satellite by any chance? Back then, I mean."

"I believe so." He answers. "I never knew exactly where I was before it happened, but I think they took me there."

"I figured. I think they kept you a few rooms down from me," I say, keeping my eyes on the horizon, "I remember your aura."

"Aura?" Bommer asks.

"Well, it's hard to explain." I bite the inside of my cheek. "It's an energy that radiates from certain people. I don't know why. Some psychics, like me, are able to read them."

"What do you mean by certain people?"

"That's what puzzles me. I thought it was just psychics, but now people who are Signers or former Dark Signers have them, which just confuses me."

"Interesting," Bommer says before pausing, "I've read that certain cultures believe in a type of spiritual energy. One linked to Duel Monsters, and its strength varies. Maybe that's what you're able to read. Psychics are able to summon monsters into our world, while Signers and Dark Signers are linked to their Dragons and Earthbound Immortals."

"Maybe." I mutter. "I think it's something greater. It's something we're all tied to. There are some people with auras that aren't psychics or supernatural at all." Shinji springs to mind. "It's possible that everyone with an aura is connected to fate itself." Shinji saved my life in my darkest moment. If that wasn't fate, I don't know what was. He told me that I had stopped breathing when he found me. It must be some higher power pulling the strings, making the world turn the way it does. "That this energy allows us the ability to change fate, even if it's just the life of one person." Shinji's aura suddenly appeared once he had saved me, I realised. It's the best reasoning my brain can come up with. Maybe everyone has an aura, but I'm strong enough to sense the weakest ones. Bommer stays quiet for a while, though it's a comfortable silence. I realise how beautiful the stars are here. There isn't civilisation closeby, it's just us and the empty plain.

"It's possible that both are true." Bommer says after a while.

"I guess you're right." I smile.

"If you need help finding your geoglyph, you can just ask me."

"I think I should be okay, I can feel the spirits beneath the ground. I think mine was called the Vulture, in case you're curious."

"That would be that way." Bommer points to my left. "It's quite a trek from here."

"I'll be fine." I assure him. "Tell Yusei that's where I've gone, will you?"

"Of course." He says as I stand up.

I don't know how long I've been walking. Every step fills me with a sense of dread. I stop at the next geoglyph I reach. I put my hand on the ground, trying to sense an aura. Some geoglyphs don't have any spirits lingering just under the surface, those weren't used in the last iteration of this battle. This one was, I realise.

I reach out for the spirit, trying to get a feeling for it. It calls out to me. I focus on it. It swishes around, severe motions rather than fluid ones. Its aura is vaguely familiar, so I sit down at the edge of the geoglyph. This was mine. I'm certain of it. Its cry to be freed is louder, more definite. I freed it one and it hopes that I can do it again. I close my eyes. I am brought back to that place. Bathed in a cold, multicoloured light as I breathed my last. Kiryu's eyes, daring me to do the unthinkable, waiting to swallow me whole. I feel the spirit press against the earth, as if willing itself to move up my arm and into my chest, where it once rested. It yearns for death and destruction. Just like I once did, or maybe I still do. That time has long since passed.

"Yuuka," I turn to see Yusei, walking towards me with his jacket thrown over his shoulder, "Are you doing okay?"

"I don't know." I answer. "Depends on your definition of okay."

"Your standard of okay, I've learnt what that means now."

"I suppose you have," I stare at Yusei's face. My eyes trail down his neck as he sits down besides me. There's a scar that hovers over his collarbone, you can only see it at a certain angle because of his shirt's neckline. I absentmindedly trace my fingertips over it. He shivers slightly underneath my touch. "This scar is different to the others." The edges of it are ever so slightly jagged, with almost a burn scar surrounding it.

"I got that scar from an Earthbound Immortal, just like the one on my stomach." The scar that Kiryu gave him is not like this one. There's something  _unnatural_  about this scar. The image of Yusei standing opposite me comes into my mind, bruised, bloodied and betrayed. I push the sounds of his screams from my mind.

"I don't know if I'll ever be truly okay," I sigh. A part of me has always known this. The quiet secret between lovers. The deepest secrets we only tell each other. Yusei knew my demons, and I know his. They may never leave us, but we can at least ease the burden, if only for a little while.


	66. Shake It Out

The heat of the morning sun is almost unbearable, but I don't move from my spot. I sit on top of the temple overlooking the Nazca plains. I stare at the dragon iconography adorning the temple. I recognise it from some research. Some people believed that the legend of the Crimson Dragon was connected to the god Quetzalcoatl from the religion native to this region. It would make sense, using the Crimson Dragon to keep the spirits of the Earthbound Immortals locked away. Could they ever come back? That question has been asked many times since we arrived here. A part of me says yes. The spirits call out to me, yearning to be free. I feel as if at any moment the spirits will break free from the ground and drag me down with them. I do my best to ignore it. I've noticed that Yusei is starting to get anxious. I know it's because of me. I should probably go back inside. The sun will be overhead soon, and I really don't want to be outside for that. I ain't getting sunburned. Max stands at the bottom of the steps as I walk down. I pat the top of his head as I pass him.

"What? The monsters that Max used in his duel against Jack aren't in his deck?" Yusei says as I enter the cottage.

"It was bugging me, so I looked at Max's deck." Bommer explains.

"Are you sure that was his deck?" I ask as their attention turns towards me.

"Yeah, Max only has one deck."

"That's strange." Yusei's brow furrows. "What did Max say?"

"He says that he remembers dueling Jack, but…" Bommer trails off. "Max doesn't remember what happened during the duel."

"Bommer, can I ask you something?" Yusei begins. "Why did you want Max to duel Jack? Max is only a child. Even if he managed to deal one serious blow, Jack's overwhelming power would've defeated him. So why?"

"I don't know myself." Bommer sighs.

"You don't know?" I raise an eyebrow.

"I thought my dream was a premonition." He explains. "I wanted Jack to realise that he trusted his power too much. That's why I wanted Jack to duel. But why Max?"

"Why did you invite us? Why Jack?" Yusei questions.

"Because I had that dream." Bommer answers.

"Why did you think Jack was going to die when you had that dream?" I ask, cutting to the heart of it. I've looked into the meaning of prophetic dreams. Dreams that directly foresee the future often have another meaning to them. My dreams are warnings of what will happen if I continue as I am.

"I don't know." Bommer suddenly goes quiet, head turning slightly.

"Bommer?" I ask. His eyes glaze over as I feel the stinging feeling return to my temples. Bommer shoves his hands on the table, standing up. "Bommer." I repeat.

"Crimson Devil…" He mutters. "Was I being used?"

"What do you mean?" I question. The room suddenly darkens as I hear a clap of thunder. My eyes widen as I feel the spirits in the earth tremble. We run to the temple.

"Max! What happened?" Bommer asks as we reach Max, still standing at the foot of the temple.

"Jack... Jack disappeared!" Max points to the top of the temple. We walk up the steps. The floor where I had just sat has collapsed in, revealing a staircase leading underground.

"What's going on? We built this temple by stacking rocks. Why is there a cave inside?" I feel a strange energy radiating from the staircase, as if the spirit resting underneath the temple burst through the stone.

"Did Jack go inside?"

"There's only one way to find out." I say as I start walking down.

"This wasn't here when we were building the temple." Bommer explains as we walk.

"This wasn't created by nature. Someone built this." Yusei responds.

"That means someone led me, Max and Jack to this place." I pick up my pace as Bommer talks. It's faint, but I sense Jack's aura. It feels as if the spirit is engulfing his aura.

"There's a light up ahead." I say, prompting them to start running too. We stop when the stairs enter a cavern. Jack stands in the center of the room, below us. He has a duel disk ready, I look across from him. A spirit who's body is made of fire stands in front of an altar, ready for a match.

"Jack!" I shout, running fast.

"Don't interfere!" The spirit shouts, stamping his foot. This causes the cavern to start rumbling. Rocks fly around Jack, cutting a podium for him to stand on as everything else falls away. The stairs in front of me start to collapse beneath my feet. Yusei pulls me by the arm towards him onto stabler ground. The flame spirit cackles, shooting a purple beam of light in our direction. It hits the steps we just came down. They fall away into the pit of lava below, leaving us stranded.

"Oh no! The exit! Jack!" Yusei shouts. His words seems to knock Jack out of some kind of trance. This causes the flame to laugh. Its hand moves, conjuring another beam of light. I see it move towards Yusei. I push Yusei back on the steps, taking the blow straight to the torso.

"Yuuka!" I hear Yusei and Jack shout. The force of the blow knocks me into the wall. My entire body tenses up as the purple energy seeps into me. Fire spreads through my chest and down my limbs. The air suddenly feels thin. I feel Yusei's hand on my arm, his face moving into my vision.

"Jack, the Crimson Devil's spirit used Max and me to bring you here." I hear Bommer shout as my vision starts to give out. I start trembling. Yusei's hands move quickly, as he starts to panic. I hear voices talking in my head.

"It's too late. The contractual ritual has already begun." The spirit's voice explains. The dark energy spreads through my limbs. My hands start shaking violently. I hear Yusei repeating my name over and over.

"Our agreement is void!" Jack shouts back.

"That's not allowed! If you win this ritual, I'll give you power. But if I win... Your body will belong to the Crimson Devil." My breath starts catching in my throat. My vision completely gives out. "By taking over Jack Atlas's body, the Crimson Devil will resurrect after a ten thousand year slumber. You will be sacrificed for this ritual."

* * *

Pitch black darkness. I hear a voice cackling, followed by indistinguishable whispers. I turn around, looking for the source. Nothing. I look back and find a small purple flame lit in the distance. I start walking towards it as it starts growing. It flies past me, my hair moving in the breeze. My eyes widen. I start turning around in circles as the fire creates a familiar pattern. I hear a shriek as I'm being pulled backwards. Everything goes black for a split second before the flames return. I turn around to face my demon. Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta. Its wings flap. The force of it sends my hair flying back. It stops, resting in front of me. It lowers its beak to me. I instinctively reach out to touch it. But I stop myself. That's what it wants. I clench my fist to stop my hand from shaking. Hawa Lluta raises its head. Its long beak stopping just short of my throat. If I stepped any closer, it would most likely pierce it.

"What are you going to do?" I hear a voice behind me, turning around to find the source. I find a copy of myself, dressed in my Dark Signer robes.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You're in Nazca, home of the Earthbound Immortals." She looks at me as if it should explain itself. I look back at her, wide eyed. She sighs. "You can stop this." She points at Hawa Lluta behind me. "For good."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know." She stares at me, completely deadpan. "Use your imagination."

"Right."

"It's the only way you'll be able to save him."

"What?"

"You heard me. If you want to save Yusei Fudo from certain death, I suggest you get rid of this demon so you can focus on saving him." Her tone is harsh. "That's always been your problem. You're too backwards looking. There's a future for you and you waste it looking back. Unlike me."

"Unlike you?" She disappears in an instant. I turn back to look at Hawa Lluta. Soft noises emerge from it, it's almost completely still. I take a deep breath. The whispers in the distance grow stronger. Images keep flashing in my mind. Kiryu's thin face illuminated by multicoloured light. The look of betrayal on Yusei's face as I lowered my hood. Hawa Lluta shrieking above me before it attacked. The attack that left a scar on Yusei. The look of sorrow on Yusei's face before I died again. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My hand reaches out, but not for Hawa Lluta. A chill spreads through my body. I feel it manifest in my hands.

"Trishula." Its name falls from my mouth. One of Trishula's heads presses against my hand. "Finish this." Trishula steps back and lowers all of its head, I lower mine in response. It turns to face Hawa Lluta, necks stretched out. It roars before conjuring a blast of ice. Hawa Lluta shrieks as it takes the attack. The force of the attack pushes it into the flames. It cries, calling out for me. I can do nothing as the fire consumes it. It slowly fades from existence, the flames going with it.

* * *

"The contractual ritual is nearing the final chapter!" I can barely hear the voice of the flame spirit over the rumbling of the cavern.

"Yuuka." I hear Yusei call me. I jump slightly as I realise that he has me in my arms. I mean, any other time, I would be happy to be in his arms.

"Yusei." I smile, letting him know that I'm okay. He lets me stand, keeping an arm around my waist. There's an explosion, spurting rocks everywhere. Yusei pulls me closer to him. A giant red hand stretches out of the altar. Rocks tumble down from the ceiling of the cavern as a bright light shines from the altar.

"It's now time for my master, the Crimson Devil, to resurrect!" The flame shouts as more explosions sound. The wall behind the altar falls, revealing a large yellow eye.

"That's Scarlet Nova, the Crimson Devil!" Yusei exclaims. Scarlet Nova moves like it's too big for that small space and it's ready to burst free,

"Jack Atlas, my master says that you have no cards in your hand or deck that can defeat me!" The flame cackles as the stairs start rumbling beneath my feet. Yusei grabs my hand as he starts running back up the stairs, away from edge.

"Yuuka! Yusei! Bommer! Max!" Jack shouts over to us.

"They will be ritually sacrificed, and the sounds of their agonising death will be the climax!" The flame cackles as he points at us. Yusei hides me behind him in case it launches another attack.

"I won't let you do that!" Jack exclaims as his fist clenches. "My irreplaceable friends support me! Even if my body and soul burn out, I will protect them!"

"What are you talking about? The battle is over! Their sacrifices and your body belong to my master, the Crimson Devil!" I hear the Crimson Devil roar as red light flashes out from the altar.

"My soul won't let that happen! You forgot that my soul is coming back!" Jack's fist starts to glow bright red against his chest. "Red Daemon's Dragon resurrects during his Standby Phase." Fire erupts behind Jack. "Red Daemon's Dragon lights my soul!" The fire takes the shape of Red Daemon's Dragon.

"Red Daemon's Dragon won't be able to resist the Crimson Devil!" The flame shouts back, taunting him.

"I can feel the pulse of my soul!" The bright light turns into fire.

"That's…" The flame spirits says in a state of shock.

"My rugged soul!" Red Daemon's Dragon glows red.

"Burning Soul! Jack has the power of the legendary man." Yusei exclaims. I must have missed this conversation while I was out.

"My turn!" Jack declares.

"I won't let you!" The spirit shouts as the Crimson Devil roars. This causes parts of the ceiling to collapse, heading straight for Jack.

"Jack!" Max shouts.

"This is…" Yusei says as his Signer mark lights up. The Crimson Dragon appears, bathed in a soft red light.

"Quetzalcoatl!" Max finishes.

"The Crimson Dragon." I mutter.

"In this land, we worship the guardian god, Quetzalcoatl." Bommer explains as the Crimson Dragon shrieks.

"Red Daemon's Dragon that was removed from play by Synchro Soldier resurrects during this Standby Phase(ATK:3000)!" Jack declares. "When a Synchro Monster is on my field, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Creation Resonator(ATK:800)! Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Attack Gainer(ATK:0)! Tuner Monsters Level 1 Attack Gainer and Level 3 Creation Resonator double tune Level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon!"

"Two Tuner Monsters?" Bommer questions.

"You're allowed to Synchro like that?" I mutter.

"The person with Burning Soul gains the Crimson Dragon's power and creates miracles." Yusei turns to me. Jack puts his fist to his heart as it glows red.

"My rugged soul! I'll use its power to seal the Crimson Devil again!" His hand reaches for the sky and a card appears in his hands.

"What's going on? No way!" The spirit exclaims as the Crimson Devil disappears.

"Crimson Devil, I'll take all of your power! The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Come Forth, Scarlet Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)!" The light that was once the Crimson Devil merges with Red Daemon's Dragon, creating a new monster.

"Impossible…" The spirit says in disbelief. "You subdued my master, the Crimson Devil."

"I activate Scarlet Nova Dragon's effect! For every Tuner Monster in my graveyard, it gains 500 attack points! There are four Tuner Monsters in my graveyard! Therefore, Scarlet Nova Dragon gains 2000 attack points, making it 5500(ATK:3500-5500)!"

"No way... How dare you do that when I have no master!" The spirit shouts back at Jack.

"I'll show you my power! I used various strategies to gain ultimate power! This is my soul for my new battle technique! Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Abyss Ruler Mictlancihuatl! Burning Soul!" The statue standing at the altar crumbles and fall onto the spirit. The stairs crumble beneath my feet, Yusei grabs me by instinct. I hear the Crimson Dragon roar. I close my eyes as we start to fall.

I'm thrown, meeting solid ground. I open my eyes on impact. I look at the remains of what was the temple. Rocks are littered all around us.

"The Crimson Dragon…" Yusei mutters. I look up to the sky as the Crimson Dragon flies up into the parting of the clouds. It must have saved us. We look at ones of the dragons that adorned what was the temple which landed besides us.

"Quetzalcoatl." I correct.

* * *

The spirits in the earth seemed to have calmed. Their calls have been silenced. Hawa Lluta's spirit seems fainter than ever. I suppose it's for the best. The Earthbound Immortals should stay locked beneath the ground, influencing nobody from their final resting place. Bommer gives me a small fragment of the stone from the destroyed temple. It bares the face of Quetzalcoatl. It should warn off bad dreams, he said. This temple was visited by the Crimson Dragon itself, that must account for something.

"Yusei, Jack and Yuuka, please come again." Bommer says as we prepare to set off.

"Yeah, we will." Yusei responds.

"You must be kidding! I've had enough with the occult!" Jack's comment gets a chuckle from Bommer.

"Jack, that's a lie and you know it." I laugh even though I know that spells out bad news for us. Vanquishing Hawa Lluta in that vision of me makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

"I'll keep believing in my deck! As long as I believe, I can create a deck that rivals the King's!" Max pumps his fist.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it!" Jack smiles. "Someday, we'll battle using your trusted deck. I'll come here just for that!" For a second, I imagine Jack with his own kids. As much as he would deny it, he has a soft spot for kids deep down.

"Until next time." Yusei says before we set off. "Jack. The Crimson Dragon may have been the one who brought you to this land." Maybe, as strange as it sounds, the Crimson Dragon brought me to this land too. Is Yusei truly is fated to die, wouldn't the Crimson Dragon try to stop it? It has granted Yusei and Jack with Clear Mind and Burning Soul. They've pleaded to defeat Yliaster with this power. Maybe I should find my own way to fight. I won't stand by and watch Yusei walk to his death. Not if I have anything to say about it.

* * *

I've been home for maybe ten minutes and I'm already banging on the door of the Izayoi house. Crow told us that Aki had been discharged from the hospital. It seemed he was telling me while the other guys just happened to be there. Crow had seen her when she woke up, she was in a bad state. Not that she suddenly lost memories or whatever soap opera plot, but emotionally.

Her parents let me in. They seem nervous, despite everything seeming fine. Aki is perfectly fine physically except for some headaches, which I imagine are normal. I go up to her room alone. I don't take in the views of her exquisitely decorated house. I gently tap on Aki's door. I hear her mumble through the door, so I open it slowly.

"Oh, hello." Aki sits up a little straighter in the bed as I go into the room, closing the door behind me.

"Hey, how you doing?" I ask, moving the chair by her desk closer to the bed.

"I'm doing good, I guess," she sighs, "It's a bit hard to move without being in pain, there's headaches, but I could be a lot worse. Is this how you felt when you crashed?"

"Something like that," I answer, "My advanced healing probably helped."

"That's true." She places her hands in her lap and stares at the wall.

"What's up?" I lean forward in the chair. "I know you. There's something going on." Aki glances at me from the corner of her eye before moving her gaze back to the wall.

"My powers vanished."

"What?"

"They vanished," she takes a deep breath, "before I crashed, I tried to use my powers and I couldn't. I wanted to summon a monster. But I couldn't. I fazed right through the hologram and crashed." Aki starts to speak faster and faster before stopping herself.

"Why would your powers…" I rake my brain for something, but I only make myself more confused.

"I don't know." There's something desperate to her voice.

"Your powers were linked to your emotions, like mine. But unlike me, you seem to have that under control. Could that be it?"

"Maybe," she sighs again, "I just feel so helpless. Being a psychic is who I've been for so many years now, that it feels strange just not being one. That my powers have just  _disappeared_."

"I know, it's okay," I reach out for her hand, "but you're still a psychic. You have an aura, you're still one of us. My powers disappeared once when I lost control. It's happened before and it can happen again. We just need to face this together."

"It's not okay, Yuuka." Her hands fly up to her face. "I'm scared and I don't know what to do." I shush her in an attempt of calming her down. "It's like my whole identity has been taken away from me."

"It will never been taken away from you." I assure her. "You're a psychic, no matter what. Please don't forget that. Your powers will come back, mine did too. I processed my feelings and they came back naturally. I think you need to do the same. There's a lot going on, and I think we all need to sit down and think about things. Panicking isn't going to help us now."

"You're right." Her hand moves to her arm, where her pyjama top covers her Signer mark. "I'm a psychic. I've been through too much to call myself anything else." She moves her hand again, this time closer to mine.

"Come on," I put my hand over hers, "You can't let this get you down." She smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back.


	67. Like Me

"So, you're gonna be staying at Miguel's place for the next while?" I ask as I boil the kettle. Kenta stayed over at my place again, after disappearing to Miguel's apartment the last few days.

"Something like that," Kenta's eyes widen slightly as he rubs the back of his neck, "Until I get back on my feet at least."

"And he's letting you?"

"He insisted," I swear Kenta's face flushes slightly when I raise an eyebrow. "That sounds umm… He suggested it, I mean."

"He must be pretty keen on you too." I chuckle.

"I think so. His friends act weird when I walk in with him."

"Oh  _definitely_  keen." Kenta covers his face in embarrassment.

"Shut up."

"It's true though." The kettle finishes boiling, so I turn to pour out the water. I steal one of Kaoru's teabags for Kenta. Not that he'd notice anyway. Kasumi says that he only comes home to sleep nowadays, and it's not even every night.

"Yuuka!" I hear Kasumi shout as she opens the front door. "Look what I have!" I hear something thud on the floor and a bell jingle. She comes into the kitchen holding a cat that is more fluff than anything else. "I got this precious thing from the shelter." I inhale deeply through my nostrils and stretch my arms out, making a grabbing gesture. Kasumi laughs, handing me the giant fluffball. "Oh hi Kenta! How are you doing?" She turns to Kenta as the cat, reluctantly, is passed into my arms.

"I'm doing better. You look really happy." Kenta stands up to finish making our drinks, pouring out another for Kasumi.

"Of course I am. I have this little cutie." The cat starts squirming in my arms as I pet her soft orange fur. I notice there's a notch missing from her ear with a scar just above her eye. "I don't know what we should call her though, the people at the shelter didn't have a name for her."

"Mrs. Whiskers." I say.

"What?" Kasumi and Kenta both turn to me.

"I used to feed this cat. She disappeared a while ago, so the shelter must have picked her up. I called her Mrs. Whiskers."

"I like that name." Kasumi smiles as she pets our cat. My phone starts ringing on the counter, causing Mrs. Whiskers to jump out of my arms.

"Hello." I answer, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Yuuka," Yusei starts, "Jaeger is going to tell us everything he knows about Yliaster."

"Now?" I groan. "I just got a cat, I don't need this right now."

"Yuuka." He sounds tired.

"Okay, I'll send you pictures of the cat." Silence. "Fine, I'm on my way over."

By the time I actually get my shit together, Jaeger has already finished talking. Apparently, he knows even less than us about Yliaster. Jaeger is bringing us to a database that holds the name of a company involved with the three Directors, meaning Yliaster. This, inevitably, makes me confused when we pull up outside of an arcade. Everyone just kinda looks at each other as Jaeger leads us to a duel terminal with a Riding Duel setup.

"The database is  _here_?" Jack asks.

"Only a handful of people know that it's here." Jaeger laughs.

"No matter how you look at it, it looks like an arcade machine." Rua raises an eyebrow at Jaeger.

"Right? No one would expect a computer terminal to access the Public Maintenance Department's database would be located here. Even if someone was following me, I can safely extract the data." Jaeger jumps into the seat of the fake D-Wheel and types in a password. "Here we go." Cup Ramen Man appears on the screen before a duel puzzle loads up.

"This looks like the endgame of a duel." Yusei comments.

"Instead of a password, it's a Riding Duel endgame." Jaeger explains. "Since I developed it, I'll solve it easily." This is starting to look very familiar.

"Get ready. Duel start!" The computer generated voice drones.

"There are two questions total." Jaeger starts. "I get three chances to answer. In other words, if I make three mistakes, the PC will be locked. I have 1000 life points. The opponent has 1800 life points. We both have 4 Speed Counters. Cup Meatball Cayenne with 1600 attack points is on the opponent's field. Jester Lord with 0 attack points is on my field. There is one trap on my field, and there are two cards in my hand."

"A monster with 0 attack points... The key to this duel is increasing its attack points." Jack hums.

"Exactly. When there are no other monsters on my field, Jester Lord gains 1000 attack points for every Spell and Trap card on both of our fields. Therefore, I should do this. I set Speed Spell - Speed Energy. Then, I activate my trap, Raigeki Break!" Jaeger declares. "By discarding one card in my hand, one card on the field is destroyed. I send Jester Confit in my hand to the graveyard to destroy Cup Meatball Cayenne!"

"However, when Cup Meatball Cayenne is destroyed, all cards in your hand are also destroyed!" The voice of Cup Ramen Man explains.

"That won't work on me. There are no cards in my hand. There's one spell card on the field. Therefore, Jester Lord gains 1000 attack points. Jester Lord, attack him directly!" Jaeger's attack leaves the bot with 800 life points.

"Too bad. I have 800 life points remaining. In a Riding Duel endgame, you have to win in one turn! You failed!" The sprite of Cup Ramen Man on the screen makes an x-shape with his arms.

"What are you doing?" Jack's eyebrows furrow.

"Didn't you create this puzzle?" Crow squints slightly at Jaeger.

"Actually, I had my subordinates create the puzzles." Jaeger waves off their comments.

"This isn't a standing duel. You need to use Riding Duel strategy." Yusei sighs.

"I see." Jaeger nods slightly.

"Sheesh, I'll take care of it." Crow groans, stepping forward.

"Wait. Let me do it." Aki places a hand on Crow's arm.

"Aki…" He mutters, glancing down at her hand.

"I did plenty of riding practice. I want to help." She smiles, only looking at Crow.

"Alright, we're counting on you!" Her face lights up at Crow's words.

"Do your best!" Ruka cheers.

"Get ready. Duel start!" The computer drones once again.

"I activate Speed World 2's effect. By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand." Aki declares.

"Alright! He only has 1000 life points remaining!" Crow grins. "That means…"

"I set Speed Spell - Speed Energy. Then, I activate my trap, Raigeki Break! Due to Raigeki Break's effect, I send Jester Confit in my hand to the graveyard to destroy Cup Meatball Cayenne!

"Cup Meatball Cayenne's monster effect activates!" The voice of Cup Ramen Man interrupts.

"But there are no cards in my hand. There is one spell card on the field. Jester Lord's attack points increase by 1000(ATK:0-1000). I attack you directly!" Aki's attack leaves the bot with exactly 0 life points.

"You win!" The automatically generated voice says.

"You did it!" Rua cheers as Aki sighs in relief.

"I see. You must first use your Speed Counters to take 800 life points away from your opponent. That was the key." Jaeger says as it clicks in his head.

"You're one to talk!" Jack shoots back.

"That was a great Riding Duel!" Crow gives Aki a fistbump. "Your skills have improved." They smile at each other. I swear Aki's face flushes just the tiniest bit.

"It's too early to celebrate. The second puzzle." Sherry interrupts the nice moment, turning back to the screen.

"If we solve this, we unlock the password!" Jack jumps into the seat. "Leave it to me!" I feel my eyes roll back into my head. We're going to waste an attempt here, I can feel it.

"Duel start!"

"I have 300 life points and 10 Speed Counters." Jack reads out the data on the screen directly in front of him. "The opponent has 4000 life points and 10 Speed Counters. The opponent has three monsters on his field(ATK:600/1400/1600). Jester Queen has been added to my field(ATK:800). When there are no other monsters on my field, Jester Queen can attack for every card in my Spell and Trap Card Zone. I have two set cards. And there are four cards in my hand."

"Can you handle this?" Crow's clearly having the same doubts as me. "When Cup Ramen Lard is destroyed, all your monsters are also destroyed. When Cup Udon Uno is destroyed, all cards in your Spell and Trap Card Zone are also destroyed. If you include Cup Meatball Cayenne's effect, this will be difficult."

"I don't care about details! I have 10 Speed Counters! I'll use them, of course!" Jack pumps his fist in response. "I'll show you Jack Atlas's overwhelming power! I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand! I have two Speed Spells in my hand, so you take 1600 points of damage!" Cup Ramen Man stands at 2400 life points. "I now have 6 Speed Counters! I activate Speed World 2's effect again! You take an additional 1600 points of damage!" Meaning that he now has 800.

"He instantly dealt 3200 points of damage!" Yusei exclaims.

"As always, he's focusing on power." Crow sighs.

"I'm not done! I activate Speed Spell - Speed Energy from my hand!" Jack declares. "When I have two or more Speed Counters, one of my monster's attack points increases by the number of Speed Counters multiplied by 200 points! Jester Queen's attack points increase by 400 points(ATK:800-1200). Then, I set two cards in my hand and activate the Speed Spell - High Speed Crash! When I have two or more Speed Counters, one card on each of our fields are destroyed! I destroy Jester Lord and Cup Meatball Cayenne!"

"Cup Meatball Cayenne's monster effect activates! Taste this!"

"But there are no cards in my hand! Next, I activate Jester Queen's monster effect! There are four cards in my Spell and Trap Card Zone. Jester Queen can attack four times! Jester Queen attack Cup Ramen Lard!"

"Wait, Jack!" Yusei tries to interrupt him.

"What is it, Yusei?" Jack turns as his fingers graze the button.

"That monster's effect is…" Yusei glances at the screen, and seeing that the attack went through, stops.

"When Cup Ramen Lard is destroyed, all monsters on your field are destroyed!"

"What?" Jack exclaims.

"You have no monsters! Therefore, you fail!" Jack shrieks as the duel ends, restarting.

"You idiot! Didn't we tell you? And even if you could attack four times, Cup Udon Uno had more attack points than Jester Queen!" Crow raises his voice at Jack. I look to Yusei, who seems to be dreading this as much as I am.

"I was just testing a strategy! I was able to lower his life points to 200!" Jack shoots back.

"There's no point if it's not 0!" They start moving closer together.

"C'mon now, you both need to calm down." Luckily, Jaeger interrupts them before they start properly fighting.

"Whose fault do you think this is?" They scream at Jaeger in unison.

"We only have one chance left." Sherry says, bring their attention to the task at hand.

"Virtual battles don't suit me!" Jack huffs.

"Excuses, excuses." I say. "Actually, I think the way you used Speed World 2 was right." Then it hits me. "I think I got it."

"What do you mean?" Jack asks as I approach the terminal.

"The trick here is the timing."

"Timing?" Bruno echoes.

"Duel start!"

"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" I declare. "By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for every Speed Spell in my hand! I have two Speed Spells in my hand. Therefore, you take 1600 points of damage." This leaves the bot with 2400 life points.

"Good! If you do that again, he'll only have 800 life points left!" Jack exclaims.

"But that will be the same as last time." I hear the scepticism in Rua's voice.

"That's right, everyone usually wants to deal as much damage as possible at the start. However, I'll activate Speed Spell - Speed Energy from my hand!" I say. "Due to Speed Energy's effect, Jester Queen's attack points increase by the number of Speed Counters multiplied by 200 points(ATK:800-2000)! Then, I activate Speed World 2's effect! I have one Speed Spell in my hand. By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage!" I get the bot down to 1600 life points.

"Why? You could've dealt 3200 points of damage!" Jack makes a big gesture with his arms.

"It's true that she dealt half the damage for 800 points." Aki comments.

"But in exchange, she increased Jester Queen's attack points." Crow finishes.

"I activate Speed Spell - High Speed Crash from my hand. I destroy Jester Lord and Cup Udon Uno!" I declare.

"When Cup Udon Uno is destroyed, all cards in your Spell and Trap Zone are destroyed!"

"Why Cup Udon Uno?" Aki questions. "Without any set cards, he can't use Jester Queen's effect."

"But Yuuka still has…" Bruno trails off.

"That's right. I set the trap cards Discord and Imperial Custom that are in my hand. Now Jester Queen can attack twice. That's all I need. Jester Queen, attack Cup Meatball Cayenne!" I leave the bot with 1200 life points.

"Cup Meatball Cayenne's effect!"

"I have no cards in my hand! Go, Jester Queen! Destroy Cup Ramen Lard!" I flash a peace sign as the bot's life points hit 0.

"You win!" The computer spits out.

"Well done, Yuuka!" Jack cheers.

"I didn't win  _all_  by myself. Jack and Aki, you helped." Aki shakes her head, smiling, while Jack just looks done with me. I get out of the seat of the D-Wheel to let Jaeger get the data.

"What about me?" Jaeger tries to chip in.

"Hurry up and get the data!" Sherry puts her hand on Jaeger's shoulder.

"Oh yeah." Jaeger smiles nervously, fearing for his life. "I'll access the external call records." Binary numbers fill the screen as we wait. "This is it. The person who called the three Directors was…" A logo pops up on the screen.

"What's this?" Sherry asks.

"Moment Express Development Organisation." Yusei answers.

* * *

"Stay still." I sigh, covering Yusei's mark with concealer.

"Where did you get concealer this dark?" He asks before flinching as I move near his eye.

"Emiko."

"Makes sense." Rick, the new president of Bolger & Company, kindly lets us borrow uniforms to infiltrate that company Yliaster is involved with. Yusei and I are covering our marks so we don't get recognised. Besides, the marks would draw attention that we don't need. For an extra layer of protection, I'm also using the wig that I used during the Fortune Cup. Once I put it on, Yusei had a moment of enlightenment, saying that he knew it was that day.

"Okay, that should be good enough." I step back, letting Yusei stand up off the couch.

"Quite impressive." Bruno comments.

"Easily done, I'm just too lazy."

"We should get moving." Sherry comes into the garage, dressing in a blue jumpsuit, matching mine, with the signature Bolger & Company jacket and cap. We all nod, moving to our D-Wheels.

"We'll find clues on Yliaster here." Yusei whispers as we enter Moment Express after a relatively quiet ride over.

"Yes, and also on who killed my father." Sherry responds. We walk silently through the lobby of the building. A sinking feeling comes into my stomach. Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it.

"Are you from Bolger & Company?" We turn around to see a tall blond man in a grey suit. His eyes trail over all of us, landing on Yusei. "I was waiting for you, Mister…"

"Daniel." Yusei answers with his undercover name.

"Timothy." Bruno says, next to him.

"Eva." Sherry responds curtly.

"Alexis." I blurt out.

"I'm Clark, the person in charge," The man introduces himself. "It's sad what happened to Mr. Bolger. However, your company still has many friends. It proves that he always worked hard in building D-Wheels."

"Thank you for those kind words." Bruno bows slightly.

"Have we met before?" Sherry's tone doesn't make it seem like a question.

"No, I don't think so." Clark's face turns slightly, which makes me think he's lying. I believe we're on the right track to finding out more about Yliaster.

"I see, I'm sorry." Sherry's head bows slightly.

"The course is this way." Clark comes unnecessarily close to my shoulders as he walks past me. I get a shiver down my spine.

"You've met him before?" I hear Bruno whisper.

"Maybe." Sherry answers. We follow Clark onto an escalator. We stay a good distance behind him. Suddenly, the escalator stops.

"This often happens when Infinity is active." He turns back to us, before walking up the rest of the way. We stay exactly where we are.

"Infinity?" Yusei echoes as the escalator starts working again. Clark doesn't answer him but keeps walking. He leads us down a corridor. A familiar rainbow filters through the thick glass of the windows. Inside lies some sort of power generator with the multicoloured light of Momentum.

"This is Infinity." Clark gestures to it as a door close above it, leaving us with little light.

"It's humongous." Bruno mutters.

"What does this machine do?" Yusei asks.

"Infinity is our company's experimental matter transfer device," Clark explains, "We accelerate planetary particles to high speed inside the machine and send them through a dimensional distortion. In other words, we create a wormhole to transfer matter. If this becomes practical, we won't need to fire rockets into space anymore." He suddenly looks at Yusei. "What is it, Mr. Daniel?"

"It's nothing." He answers. I try to reach out to Yusei's mind. The red door. I look at the door behind Clark marked with red and surrounded by electric locks. Yusei thinks that it's important.

I'm sent down to drive the D-Wheel on the test track. We are here to test out Bolger & Company's engine after all, supposedly. I have to wear this tacky yellow riding suit. In that moment, I am glad that they let me design the Team 5D's suits. Or else, they would have looked like banana nightmares. After we finish the first session of tests, we meet in the guest canteen which is completely empty.

"There was no information regarding Yliaster." Bruno says as he types on his laptop.

"But since this company contacted the Directors, there must be something. We don't have much time until the afternoon driving tests." Sherry explains to me as I missed everything in the computer room.

"The only thing we haven't examined is Infinity." Bruno stares at his monitor.

"There must be something there." Sherry takes a sip of her drink.

"But information regarding Infinity is heavily guarded." Bruno turns to her with a frown.

"The most important information must be behind that door." I remember Yusei thinking about that earlier from our mental connection.

"But only special staff can enter there," Bruno explains, "Even if we manage to break in, we'll need a specific access key to unlock its biggest secrets."

"Access key? Do you know that chief's schedule?" Yusei raises an eyebrow.

"I knew you were going to ask that!" Bruno chuckles. "He's having lunch with his staff."

"That means his office is empty right now," Sherry smirks with a twinkle in her eye.

"Let's hurry!" We discreetly leave the canteen, only to start running once we're in the corridors. We glance around every corner before sprinting to the next one. We finally reach Clark's office.

"Where's the card key?" Yusei says as we enter. I head straight for the drawers in his desk, a likely spot to find it. I hear a button click. I glance up and see that Yusei's turned a screen on, displaying security footage. I open the most central drawer in the desk. I pick up a card and see  _Infinity_  written on it.

"I think this is it." I say, holding it up.

"Alright, let's go!" We go to leave the office but Clark appears on all of the cameras, meaning he's just outside the door. "No, wait! You three go ahead, I'll stall him." I don't take the time to question his decision. Bruno takes out a screwdriver and gets the vent cover off, letting us climb up into the vents. Bruno jams the cover shut once we're all in. I try to feel for Infinity's energy when we're in the vents. It's faint because it's not currently on. My guess isn't too far off, as we find that red door quickly. The access card miraculously works, letting us inside a room with some computers and servers. Bruno and Sherry takes both of the computers, leaving me to root through some paperwork lying around. There just seems to be blueprints and photocopies. The lights suddenly flicker before blacking out entirely.

"It's Infinity." Bruno says, before the lights immediately turn back on. A few seconds pass.

"I found the Yliaster file!" Sherry exclaims, putting a USB stick into the computer. We watch the download bar fill. Just as it finishes, alarm sirens start going off.

"Let's go!" Bruno grabs my wrist by instinct and we start running. Security men start chasing after us, which only makes me run faster. I nearly knock Yusei over after running into him.

"Yusei, we have the Yliaster file." Sherry shouts as we start running again.

"There they are!" The security men turn the corner behind us.

"Hurry! This way!" Yusei leads us down a corridor into a wide open area full of shuttles.

"Hide inside the shuttle!" Sherry shouts and we go inside. The door closes with a thud and a click. Bruno and Sherry start panicking and banging the door.

"We're sealed in!" Bruno exclaims.

"It's a trap!" Yusei curses. The shuttle shakes slightly as it starts moving. We run up into the cockpit, everything starts passing us as we move. Bruno and Sherry start banging on the windows, shouting in case someone will hear us. I gradually sink to the floor. I can feel myself starting to shut down. Doors below us open up, revealing the rainbow coloured ring of Infinity. Multicoloured lights flash on the ceiling of the shuttle. Kiryu's thin pale face flashes into my mind. I feel a hand on my back. Yusei helps me stand up again. He envelops me in a hug and I press my face into his shoulder.

"What is this? What's going on?" I look up to see Sherry and Bruno staring at screens.

"Big trouble! They're about to send this shuttle into a wormhole!" Bruno exclaims.

"Wormhole?" Sherry echoes.

"It's a tunnel that connects to another dimension! If we enter, I don't know where we'll end up." I dig my face into Yusei's shoulder again, gripping the front of his jacket.

"You!" Yusei raises his voice. I look up again, seeing Clark's face project all around us.

"So, it's Yusei Fudo, Sherry LeBlanc, Yuuka Hattori and a friend." He smirks.

"How do you know my name?" I manage to cough up.

"He knew who we were from the beginning." Yusei takes off his cap, making his hair spikes flare out.

"Yusei, he said  _Hattori_ ," I whisper to him, "I haven't gone by Hattori in years." Yusei's eyes jolt between my face and the projections. He doesn't seem sure what to do with that information.

"You fell into my trap." Clark chuckles at us.

"Your actions prove that there's a connection between your company and Yliaster. You know who killed my father!" Sherry shouts.

"Dr. LeBlanc? I haven't heard that name in a long time." Clark boasts this fake thoughtful expression. "He was an excellent man, but he asked too many questions."

"Too many questions?" Sherry echoes.

"Dr. LeBlanc created Infinity's control card," He explains, "But he found out how we were going to use this device."

"How to use this device?" Bruno asks.

"Infinity is a device that connects various eras. Yliaster was using Infinity to alter history. But, the world must never find out. It's taboo. But Dr. LeBlanc discovered the truth. That's why we got rid of him." Clark shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

"I'll never forgive you!" Sherry all but howls back at him.

"In your current situation, your threats don't scare me. Besides, now that you know the truth, I can't let you go free." I grab Yusei's jacket by instinct.

"How dare you!" He snarls back.

"That shuttle doesn't have a control card. It will fail out of the wormhole and be lost among the dimensional distortions. Farewell, Yusei Fudo, Yuuka Hattori and Sherry LeBlanc." Then, the screen just disappears.

"Wait!" Yusei screams as the shuttle shakes and is filled with a bright light.

"Wake up!" I feel Yusei's hand on my back. Alarm sirens make my head throb. I sit up and look through the window of the shuttle. Streams of orange coloured light fly past us. "Are you okay?" Yusei asks.

"No." I answer.

"Where are we?" Sherry mutters.

"We're inside the wormhole." Bruno says, standing in front of the screen.

"It really exists?" Yusei's eyes widen as he stares out the window into the orange abyss.

"Yliaster has scientific knowledge that exceeds our imaginations." Bruno sighs. The shuttle starts shaking again. A red light fills the cockpit, following by more warning alarms.

"Shuttle is out-of-control. Please use the control card immediately."

"This is it. This is how I die." I mutter, leaning my head against the wall.

"If we don't do something soon, the shuttle will fall out of the wormhole!" Bruno exclaims.

"What happens if we fall out?" Sherry asks.

"I don't wanna know," I sigh.

"We may end up in an unknown era or shatter to bits in a dimensional distortion." Bruno looks over to me, before turning to Yusei who goes over to him. They start fiddling with the computer.

"Bruno, how is it over there?" Yusei asks after a few seconds.

"It's no good! The controls don't work!" The cabin shakes again. I manage to avoid getting thrown around like everyone else. "This is bad! At this rate…"

"Can't we do anything?" I hear the frustration in Yusei's voice.

"If we don't have the control card, there's nothing we can do." Bruno explains.

"Control card?" Sherry repeats, taking out a card from her jacket.

"What's that?" Yusei asks.

"My father left me this card. Will it work?" She places the card down in the slot.

"Card confirmed. Starting control programme." A computer generated voice says. "Confirming course. Altering shuttle trajectory." The shuttle starts spinning, this time, sending me crashing into Sherry, knocking us both over. I hear the window shatter. I start flying towards the window, I grab onto Sherry.

"Yuuka!" Yusei shouts, grabbing a cable and jumping up to me. He barely manages to grab my hand before I'm pulled out into nothingness. I feel his grip start to loosen.

"Yusei!" I scream. I feel each of his fingers slipping away. Then, all of a sudden, he loses his grip entirely.

"Yuuka!" His scream is the last thing I hear.

* * *

I awake to the noises of nature and the feeling of sunlight on my face. I look around me. I appear to be in a clearing of a forest, leaning against a tree. I put my hand to the ground, feeling the earth. This isn't normal earth. There's something alive about this place. I wonder if this is the Spirit World. It matches Ruka's description of it. Then, I freeze, realising that I'm still in the Bolger & Company uniform, without the hat and wig. Yusei. I stand up in my fit of panic.

"Yusei!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Bruno! Sherry!"

I try scanning the place for auras. Everything seems to have an aura, which doesn't help me at all. I sit myself back down on the ground. The energy here is almost stifling. What am I going to do? I'm stuck here,  _in the Spirit World_ , alone. I try to take a few deep breaths, but I can't calm myself. I cross my legs and try to meditate. I might be able to reach out to the spirits here, and see if they can help me get home. Even without opening my eyes, I can feel monsters peeking out of the trees, moving through the sky. For a second, I feel at ease. Then, I hear giggling. My eyes snap open. I spot a figure in the trees.

"Who are you?" I shout over to them. They laugh again, and turn back into the woods. "Wait!" I start running after them. I spot their long, dark hair flying out behind them. I nearly got knocked off my feet by a few stray branches. The shrieks of spirits fall deaf on my ears. When I finally tumble out of the woods onto the bank of a river, the figure is nowhere to be seen. I look back towards the forest, while I catch my breath. I look across the river, the figure suddenly appears when I blink. I jump. "Who are you?" I ask again. They put a finger up to their mouth, their face obscured by their hair.

"Yuuka." I hear my mother's voice say. I go to respond, but I'm hit by a force, knocking me to the ground.

"You." I open my eyes after hitting the ground. The other version of myself hovers over me. Her long blonde hair falls into my face.

"Who are you?" I ask. She gives me this look like I'm stupid.

"That doesn't matter." She's pinned down completely so I can't move. I try to move my legs but she squishes them further together. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean?" I stutter out.

"Yusei." She almost growls. "At this rate, you're not going to save him." My eyebrows furrow. "Should the Ark Cradle descend, Yusei Fudo will fall." She says it like she's reciting a poem.

"What's the Ark Cradle?" I ask, but I think she's going to find that question is stupid. She sighs, confirming my suspicions.

"That island in the sky that you see in your dreams, the one that will fall into the ocean if you do nothing." She answers.

"How do you-"

"That's not important right now." She snarls. "What's important is that you save Yusei. That's all that matters." I stare at what looks to be an alternate version of me. She's practically identical to me, minus the hair. Even down to the criminal mark shaped like an arrow on her right cheekbone. There's a harshness to her eyes, I realise. A raw anger to them, and pain.

"How do I do that?" I whisper. Her face relaxes slightly.

"You stop that idiot from walking to his death. One of you must die to stop the Ark Cradle from falling into the sea and levelling the entire City."

"You want me to  _die_?" I choke out.

"Oh what? You'd rather Yusei die?"

"Of course not!" I shout back at her. "I'd do anything to stop him dying."

"Now you know what to do." She closes her eyes with a pained expression on her face. A wind suddenly whips us, I hear the rustling of the trees. I suddenly feel my stomach churning. In an instant, she's off me. She runs into the trees and I hear her wretch. I stand up, only to be dragged backwards. My back is planted firm against a tree. My windpipe starts to burn. I start coughing The other me runs back out of the trees. Her hand is stretched out. She has the same power as me, I realise.

"How?" I manage to cough out. She walks over to me, holding a hand for my throat. Her eyes are wide. I can feel her invading my mind.

"Your only job is to stop Yusei from dying." Her gaze suddenly turns cold. "You'll know what to do when the time comes. Just focus on that." Her fingers loosen for a split second before tightening again. My hands reach up for her wrists. It's becoming hard to breathe. Her eyes don't move from mine. One of her hands move, which alleviates some of the pressure. She rips my jumpsuit open with one hand. My body instantly tries to jump away, but that only causes her grip to become tighter. "Stop." She says. "I'm not going to do  _that_." Her free hand moves to a pouch on her thigh. She pulls out a pocket knife. "I'm doing this for your own good." She lifts my shirt up just far enough that my ribcage is bared to her. She breathes on the blade before pressing it to my skin. The ice cold blade slashes my skin. I scream as she cuts me five times. She lets go of my throat, letting me fall to the ground. I shake as I press my hands to the wound, it feels unnaturally cold. Then the pain sets in and I start screaming again. I can feel cold starting to move around my body. My fingers are starting to look purple. "Now, whenever you forget what your task is, that scar is there to remind you. Your advanced healing isn't going to work fast enough for it to disappear. I've placed so that Yusei shouldn't see it. He shouldn't know about this under any circumstance, do you hear me? You will fail if he finds out."

"What does all of this mean?" I manage to cough out. "Is this Yliaster's doing? Will Yusei really die?"

"Yes, this is Yliaster's doing. Though to be more specific, it's all to do with Z-One." I look up at her with wide eyes.

"That was the man in the machine. Z-One." She seems shocked by my words.

"Yes, that was Z-One you met that day." She brushes off her surprise with a sigh. "And yes, Yusei will die if you do nothing." Her eyes glaze over for a few seconds, looking into the distance. She suddenly crosses her arms. "I've kept you here long enough." She says as I start to stand up again. She paces to the edge of the river. I look down at the scar on my ribcage. The five slashes make the shape of a star.

"How do I get back?" I ask. She turns back around to me with a neutral expression on her face.

"I can get you back. You have one more question."

"Who are you exactly? I mean you look like me, but you're definitely not me, cause y'know the hair." She rolls her eyes.

"That is not important right now." Her hand stretches out over the racing river. "Good luck." There's a sad smile on her face. "Have a good life." Her hand flies in my direction. Water rushes towards me, claiming me in its body, dragging me into itself.

* * *

I take my first breath. I hear people panicking over me. Water rushes up to my windpipe, sputtering forth from my mouth. I start shaking with the cold.

"Yuuka!" Several voices ring out at once. I feel my torso being lifted up and squeezed. My eyes open slowly. I'm barely able to make out Yusei's face in the bright light. I look at around at the rest of the Signers and Bruno.

"Where am I?" I manage to get out. My voice is raspy from all the water.

"You washed up on the beach. The Crimson Dragon lead us here." Aki explains, brushing the wet hair off my forehead.

"We could ask you that!" Crow says. "You've been gone for a week."

"What?" I mutter. The Crimson Dragon? Why would it react to me? It's never done that before. Yusei sighs before pulling me into a hug.

"I'm just glad you're alive."  _Alive._  He says. I think back to what the other me said. She wants me to die in Yusei's place. This is what I have to leave behind if I truly do that.


	68. I Found

There's suddenly a distance between Yusei and I that wasn't there before. I know why it's there, but I can't really do anything to stop it happening. I have to lie when Yusei asks me about what happened when I disappeared. He knows there's more to the story than  _I wandered around the Spirit World for a while_. He knows that I'm lying to him, but he can't make me spill the truth. I can never tell him about what I was told. Yusei Fudo is doomed to die unless I do anything. He walks to his death willingly, some sort of self-sacrifice I imagine. If he learns about this, his death is a certainty. I'm doing this because I love him and I can't afford to lose him. I am more than willing to die in his place for this to happen. The world would miss him, I would miss him. He has so much more to give to this world, his potential is endless. Me? I'll never do anything or be as great as him. The world needs him more than it needs me.

"Yusei, you still love me, right?" I say out of the blue.

"Of course I do." He answers without any hesitation. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be dating."

"I just gotta make sure sometimes, y'know, general trust issues." I sigh, putting my book down.

"I know, it's okay."

"We can tell each other anything, right?" I mutter, the imagery of the other me clear in my head.

"Yeah, we already do. You have something in mind?" He looks at me like he knows what I want to talk about. He's not wrong. "You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to, I'm not forcing you to do anything."

"I appreciate that." I answer. Yusei is different from Raiden, I have to keep reminding myself. No matter how drastic their personalities are, sometimes the bad stuff is too horrible to forget.

"I love you." He says. There's rare moments where Yusei's face fully expresses what he's actually feeling. This is one of those times. He loves me despite my many flaws. I realise that, but my trust issues don't listen to reason and logic.

"I love you too, honey."

* * *

I shift awkwardly in the dress that I bought for Christmas. Emiko invited me over to her house on such short notice, this was the only suitable thing I could find. Anyone else, I would just wear my normal clothes, but no, Emiko's house is different. Her dad is a well known politician, while her mother was a model back in the day. Their house lives and breathes success. Needless to say, a riding jacket and jeans wouldn't be a great choice. I decided to wear heels today, a plain pair of black pumps that I borrowed from Kasumi, a plus of having the same large foot size. I take a deep breath before knocking on the door. Emiko opens the door, her face beaming.

"Yuuka!" She opens the door wider, letting me in. "Hi hi! Come in." Emiko leads me down the giant hallway into the dining room. Her father stands from the table to shake my head.

"Hello Yuuka, it's been a very long since you last came over. We're glad to have you back." He has a real politician handshake, putting his other hand over mine. With his slicked back, black hair and pale skin, you'd doubt this man was actually related to Emiko. They only share their trademark bright gold eyes. Every other feature Emiko got from her mother.

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Higashiyama." I bow my head slightly. I don't dare call him by first name despite the fact I've known him for years. I have the feeling he could ruin my life if he wanted to.

"It's good to see you, child." Emiko's mother hugs me tight. She always been warmer than her husband who seems to hold everything, except his wife, at arm's length.

"It's good to see you too." I smile, pulling back out of the hug.

"C'mon now." She says, ushering me to a seat next to Emiko. "I'm cooking something I used to have all the time back in Hawaii. I know you'll like it a lot."

"Is it Chicken Long Rice?" I gasp, remembering all of the times I've had it before.

"Yes." She laughs at my excited expression. "I knew you'd be excited for it. It's just ready now." I stand up again to help her. "Sit, you're our guest." She hurries into the kitchen, well as fast as you can afford to in high heels. She's unusually short for a model. I'm taller than Emiko's entire family, even with the girls in high heels. It's truly a house of short people.

"Since this is a special evening, Leilani decided to cook for us." Mr. Higashiyama explains.

"I am very grateful." I smile. "Is it just us four tonight?"

"Yes." Leilani sets bowls in front of me and Mr. Higashiyama. "Megumi, our eldest, just moved in with her boyfriend. She just had a child, a beautiful little girl. And the twins are staying over at their friend's house tonight. They got tickets to that match tomorrow. Team 5D's versus Team Taiyou, I think it was?"

"Yes, I believe it was that one, dear." Mr. Higashiyama nods.

"Yuuka is actually in the pit crew for Team 5D's!" Emiko looks between her parents, smiling.

"Oh yes, that's right." Leilani puts a finger to her lips as she goes back into the kitchen. "I remember Emiko saying that's why you didn't join her team."

"It was a shame." I say. "Would have been nice, but I had already promised the other guys."

"Speaking of which." Leilani puts the bowls down for herself and Emiko, before sitting down. "Emiko? How's Kaoru doing? We've haven't heard from him in a while." She picks up her spoon so I do the same.

"Even though we're on the same team, I haven't really heard from him either." Emiko just pokes her food with her spoon.

"Weren't you two talking about dating?" Leilani tilts her head.

"Yeah, but he likes someone else now." Emiko sighs deeply.

"Wait what? He's never told me this." I say, raising my eyebrows at Emiko. "Who is it?" I try to think of who it could be. The only people I can think of are Anako and Aki, but they don't seem likely.

"He told me not to tell you." I tilt my head with wide eyes.

"Did he now?"

"Don't worry, sweetie. You deserve better than him." Mr. Higashiyama chips in. "Sorry Yuuka."

"Nah, he deserves it." I say as Emiko continues to poke her food with her spoon, visibly upset.

"Now Yuuka, with all the changes after the unification of the City and Satellite, how do you feel about this?" Mr. Higashiyama changes the topic of conversation with ease. "We're trying very hard to make this transition as easy as we can for everyone."

"I mean," My eyes widen slightly, "It could have been handled better in all honestly."

"Oh really?" Mr. Higashiyama tries to hide the surprise on his face. "How so?"

"Well, the consequences of the whole maneuver weren't thought out fully." I bite the inside of my cheek as I try to form the right words. I can't offend a politician so high up on the scale. "There wasn't enough property to handle the influx of people into the City because there was nothing suitable in the Satellite. This causes lots of traffic. But with the new highways, I think that problem will be solved after the WRGP. Then, there weren't enough jobs for the people of the Satellite, which is why the unemployment rate skyrocketed. I haven't been able to get even a part-time job since the union because of my mark, despite the fact, my crimes have been pardoned. There's also no way for the people of the Satellite to educate themselves. Most of the people of the Satellite are uneducated, so there's only a small number of jobs catered to them. Which is why the unemployment rate has stabilised at such a high number. I think offering some sort of fast track education system for them would solve that problem."

"That's an interesting proposal." Mr. Higashiyama moves a hand to his mouth. "You're certainly brave for bringing up those issues. An anti-discrimination act will need to be brought forth, I reckon."

"That would help the problem at least." I say.

"I'll see what I can do. Our parliament isn't so easily swayed on such matters."

"I'm aware." I've listened to Kasumi talk politics before, I think she took a politics module back in college.

"But, thank you Yuuka. I knew you'd give a fair overview of the situation." He smiles.

"I'm nothing but honest, sir."

* * *

"Are you ready?" I sigh as I walk into the garage in my pit crew uniform. Yusei and Bruno are looking at the laptop, almost ready to go.

"Yeah," Yusei says, walking over to me. "We're just checking over some last minute things. You're not doing your hair all fancy today?"

"Nah, I'm too tired." I wrap the end of my ponytail around my pinky finger. "Are you complaining?"

"You know I love your hair in a ponytail." He smiles.

"Oh I know, why do you think I always wear it in a ponytail?"

"Wait, really?" He looks at me with slightly widened eyes.

"How did you not know that?" Crow butts in. "She went bright red when you said that you like her hair in a ponytail, and always started wearing it that way after that."

"That was Christmas, wasn't it?"

"Yep." I nod my head as the embarrassing memories come back. We all turn to look at the door when there's a knock. Everyone we know just walks into the garage. We look at each other, realising that everyone is already here. We stare at Crow, who is nearest to the door, until he goes to answer it. I deadpan as soon as I recognise the aura. Yusei looks at me with a raised eyebrow. The happy look on Crow's face drops when he opens the door.

"Yuuka, you deal with this." He walks away from the door, throwing his hands up.

"What do you want, Kaoru?" I hear Kaoru take a deep breath before stepping just far enough in the door so that we can see him.

"I need your help."

"Oh, do you now?" I cross my arms, scowling.

"I fucked up."

"I'd say it's too late for that." I make sure put venom in my words.

"Yuuka." He pleads.

"I'm busy." I say, pointing at my D-Wheel. "We got a match today, in case you didn't know."

"Yuuka, we  _really_  need to talk."

"I don't care," My eyes narrow, "Maybe you shouldn't have stabbed me in the back."

"Yuuka." Yusei says my name and my head whips around to him.

"Are you really on his side?"

"I think he needs you more than you're needed here." He pats my shoulder, in an effort to persuade me.

"Excuse me?" I raise my eyebrows. "Unless you know what he did." I notice Kaoru's eyes widen, but Yusei meets them and he visibly calms down. I groan. "Fine. I'm not doing this willingly, may I just say."

"We know, don't worry." Yusei pats my back as I walk to my D-Wheel. I just roll my eyes.

"Good luck, honey." I kiss his cheek before getting on my D-Wheel. "Good luck to the rest of you, I guess."

* * *

Kaoru says nothing as we pull up into the garage of our house. He's said nothing at all actually. I can't hear his thoughts. I can tell he's panicking just from looking at him. He grips the handles of his D-Wheel a little too tightly.

"Maybe we should talk upstairs." Kaoru scratches the back of his head once he takes his helmet off. "Cause y'know." His eyes move to the door of the garage. In case Kasumi is home, that's what I'm hearing.

"Okay, my room, cause your room smells like boy and I don't like it."

"That's cool." Kaoru's face is giving away nothing, aside from the fact that he's anxious.

"C'mon." I say, walking out the garage and up the stairs. The house seems to be empty which is good. Kaoru closes the bedroom door behind him. He takes a deep breath before sitting down on the bed beside me. "Now, how did you fuck up this time?"

Kaoru's eyes widen. He bites his lips. I notice his hands shaking. He tries to take deep breathes, only for short puffs to come from his mouth.

"Take your time." His eyes open quickly, meeting mine. There's a real panic to them. It's then I realise that there's actually something  _wrong_.  _This is a mistake that can't be erased_  kind of wrong. "It's okay, buddy. You can tell me." I don't know what compels me to put a hand on his back and say it. Even though the sting of his betrayal is still fresh, I still feel sorry for the kid. I still care for him, deep  _deep_  down.

"I kissed Takumi." His eyes close again in fear.

"Wait what?" It takes a few seconds for his words to register in my head. "You kissed Takumi?"

"Yes." He nods very slowly. "Well, I mean, it's more like we kissed each other? I mean, he kinda initiated it? But y'know, I didn't  _not_  kiss back?"

"I get what you mean." I bite my lip, staring at his face. I am not sure  _how_  to feel. "Does he like you?"

"I'm pretty sure. We've basically spent the last few weeks together, and I've stayed over at his place a lot."

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah." He hides his face in his hands. "I think I'm gay. But not like fully gay? I still like girls, but I really like Takumi, and he's a guy."

"It's called bisexual, buddy. Or pansexual, there's that too." I say, patting his back.

"Okay, maybe not the sex part though. Just like in general, I don't know, I'm just really confused." His hand reaches up to scratch the back of his neck.

"There's this thing called the asexual spectrum, you're probably on there just like me. Look it up and decided what one you like best. Take your time, you don't need to rush yourself."

"Thank you." He smiles. "I was really nervous about telling you."

"Why?" I squint a little. "You know that I'm bi, right?"

"I know that, Anako was the one that told me. She told me that you two made out once." He chuckles. "But Takumi was one of your best friends, so I wasn't sure how you'd react. And now… well, the issue is with him and not me."

"Wait, are you implying that Takumi made you realise you were bi or whatever?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Kaoru blinks rapidly.

"Never tell him that, you'll never hear the end of it."

"He already knows." He just shrugs his shoulders, making a face.

"You had one job."

"Shut up." He pushes my shoulder, chuckling.

"You know what his ego is like." I roll my eyes, giggling.

"You're right but you don't have to say it."

"When did you figure it out? Or what specifically?" I ask.

"I don't know. It hit me all of a sudden, I guess. I was just sitting there, then I just went  _fuck_." He raises his eyebrows. "I think it was just after you crashed that one time, pretty sure."

"So you liked Takumi before you figured out he was dating Kenta?" He nods. "That explains a lot, to be honest." It was just before that that Kenta started being  _off_. I reckon he knew about all this. Actually, some things that he said make a lot more sense if he knew that this was mutual thing. Going on record again saying that Takumi Chiba is an asshole. Kenta really deserves better than him.

"Yeah…" He grimaces. "I was very confused to say the least."

"I mean, if you're happy now, that's what matters." Kaoru's eyes widen slightly, as if he wasn't expecting it. I hear his thoughts again for the first time since that day in the park. He didn't expect me to forgive him so easily.

"I haven't really forgiven you," I say, "You're just moving towards it now."

"I guess that's all I can for." He smiles. "Resent and remember?"

"That's my motto." I laugh as he sighs.

"Sometimes, I feel bad." I go to speak but he continues. "Y'know, like, this is happening so soon after Kenta and Takumi broke up. I feel like I might have caused that."

"You didn't cause that. Kenta told me that they had been fighting for months over the whole  _taking Team Liberation a step further_  thing."

"Was that the night he came over here and got really drunk?"

"Yep, managed to get a date with Miguel that night too."

"Phantom Riders' Miguel?" He turns to me, confused.

"Yep, the same one." I nod.

"Okay, I feel better about myself now." He sighs in relief. "If Kenta's moving on, then it's okay for me to kiss Takumi."

"You keep telling yourself that." Kaoru manages to look offended by my statement. "You liking him doesn't make him any less of an asshole."

"Leave me alone."

"Never." There's a beat of silence. It's comfortable at least. "Did Takumi ever calm down about that thing?"

"The gang thing?"

"Yeah," I nod, "I was hoping he did."

"I don't know," Kaoru answers. "He's stopped talking about it for now. He's waiting until the WRGP finishes, cause y'know, he's thinking that we're going to the final."

"You don't sound certain to me, and it's your team." I raise an eyebrow at me.

"Leave me and my anxiety alone."

"I know that you're not a functional human being, but at least have some faith in yourself." I exhale through my nose. I'm just waiting until I have the mental capacity to deal with Takumi again. That little bitch is going to get what's coming to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry about keeping you from that match today." He avoids my eyes while scratching the back of his neck. "I was going to talk to you last night, but I ended up staying over at Takumi's." I give him a look. "Nothing happened after the kiss."

"Unusually tame for Takumi, but okay." I swear Kaoru flushes the tiniest bit. "No, stop that."

"Leave me alone."

"I want burritos, you coming?" I say, standing up.

"Yuuka, it's noon."

"And? I want burritos."

"Alright, I guess." He shrugs his shoulders before standing up.

* * *

"Yusei, my brother is gay." I say as I walk into Poppo Time.

"I know." He responds, hugging me. I press a kiss to cheek with a congratulations.

"What do you mean  _I know_?"

"I always thought he was, is this a new thing?" He takes the bag of burritos out of my hand, taking the one I brought home for him.

"It is…" I shake my head in disbelief.

"Takumi?" Crow asks.

"How do  _you_  know that?" My eyes widen.

"It was obvious." He just shrugs his shoulders. My jaw is hanging open. I turn to look at Aki who just puts her hand on my shoulder while laughing. "And you call Kaoru oblivious." I shake my head and throw my hands up.

"I'm done." I start walking up the stairs to the kitchen. Once I get into the kitchen, I walk back down the stairs, just enough so the guys can see me. "He used to get beaten up for being gay, and I used to beat the assholes up back. And after all that, he's actually gay."

"Yes, Yuuka." Aki nods slowly, she probably remembers because of how often we were in detention together. "But we still love and support him."

"Of course we do." I say. "I just can't believe I never noticed that he was bi this entire time. I should have a better gaydar than this." I shake my head as I walk back up the stairs.


	69. Breathe

The first time I see the Ark Cradle in the sky, I don't even react. I just stand there, staring at it. I feel like it should cause some heavier breathing, maybe my hands would shake, or just  _something_. But nothing. It appeared once before, when Yusei and Bruno returned from wherever we were on that shuttle. They said that only Signers were able to see it. Meaning, I shouldn't be able to see it. I blame the other me that I saw in the Spirit World. The scar she gave twinges whenever I see the Ark Cradle. This time, it doesn't vanish. I don't bring attention to it. That would bring up questions that I can't answer. I don't look up. That's what I do. Keep your eyes to the ground, what's in front of you. It's the only thing I can do until it draws closer.

* * *

I take a deep breath before knocking on Kaoru's door. I get no answer. The evening light floods into the landing, shining right in my eyes. I hear Kasumi moving in the kitchen downstairs, she told me to talk to Kaoru. He hasn't come out of his room in hours, at least eight at this point. I knock again. I feel Kaoru's aura inside his room. It's almost completely engulfed by sorrow.

"Hey buddy?" I say through the door in the hopes of getting a response. "It's not your fault." I sigh when he says nothing back. I sat down in the kitchen with Aki and the twins to watch Team Delta's duel against Team New World. Everyone else joined when they heard the name  _Team New World_. The team that is definitely Yliaster and magically showed up when history was changed. Kaoru was first up. His ace monster, Judgement Dragon, isn't a Synchro, so it was a smart choice. In the end, Kaoru ended up decking out before he could even get the dragon out. Only for Shinji and Anako to be taken out in rapid succession. It was a harrowing moment. I realised the gravity of our situation should we win against Team Ragnarok. "Kaoru?"

"Go away." That's all he says.

"No, I'm not going away. I just wanna talk." There's a bit of silence.

_Fine._  I hear him respond through our mental connection. I almost miss it. We haven't been using as much lately, due to Kaoru being an asshole. I open the door slowly to the pitch dark room. I notice his curtains are fully closed over, with only a small beam of light shining on a sliver of red wall.

"Don't turn on the light." He says.

"Bitch, I can't see." The stream of light widens as Kaoru pulls on the curtains from his spot on the bed. The room is cleaner than I imagined, with only his riding jacket and boots being thrown on the floor. He's lying face down on his bed. His forehead resting on his arms, he turns slightly to look at me. His eyes are rimmed with red. I close the door behind me. I decide not to take a seat on the bed, because ew. I pull over the chair at his deck to sit nearer to him. I sit there silently until he says something.

"Why do I keep fucking up?" He places his forehead back on his arms, not meeting my eyes.

"You're not always fucking up." I pat his arm gently. "It happens to all of us."

"Not in the semifinal of all places." I hear him scoff and burrow his head further into his arms.

"I messed up while dueling Raiden and I got thrown through a wall and had a building collapse on top of me. There are worse things." I smile awkwardly in an attempt to make him laugh. He doesn't even turn to look at me.

"But I messed up in front of a crowd of thousands." I notice scratch marks all over Kaoru's arms. I move my arms into the same formation as Kaoru's. He must have done that while he was lying here.

"I nearly died. We get over it." He turns to face me at that. His light brown bangs, which have grown slightly too long, cover one of his eyes.

"Okay, maybe we're not dead, but I still feel bad." He sighs through his nose, then I realise what's happening. The scratch marks should have tipped me off.

"What do you do to make yourself feel better?"

"I don't know. I just normally lie here until the nauseous feeling goes away." Yep, classic anxiety attack.

"I just attach myself to Yusei until my head stops hurting."

"I don't care." He squints at me. "I don't want to know what you do with your boyfriend." Then I get the idea, taking out my phone. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." I text a number that's been sitting in my phone, ignored for a while. "So, aside from the thing, how are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess." He squints even harder at me, suspicious.

"Yeah, that's good." I nod, before standing up. "I'm gonna get you some food, you need it."

"No offense, but I don't think I can eat right now."

"I understand the feeling, but I'm going to ignore that." I go into the kitchen, grabbing junk food from the cupboard in the kitchen. Kasumi goes to question me, but decides to just shake her head. I go back upstairs to find our cat, Mrs. Whiskers, curled up on Kaoru's back.

"Get her off me." He says, I throw the junk food near his head to take Mrs. Whiskers in my arms. She sit awkwardly in my lap before trying to escape. I don't let her, holding her to my chest.

"Eat your junk food, dumbass." Kaoru looks down at the pile of food on his pillow, picking a bar of chocolate. "Junk food is what I eat when I'm like that."

"You get like that too?" He asks before taking a bite.

"Yeah." I sigh. "One time, I scratched my arm so hard, it started bleeding. The scars went away after like a week. Don't do that, not a fun time." Kaoru just nods as he chews. "How are things going with Takumi?"

"Good, good." He doesn't meet my eyes. "I don't think we're official yet, but we basically are."

"Cool." My phone buzzes and I go downstairs to open the door. Takumi stands at the door, out of breath and sweating. I take the key, stepping outside so Kasumi can't hear us. "Listen." I point my finger in his face.

" _Hey, your boyfriend is sad. Come over and cuddle him or something._  I come running. Then, I get you pointing your finger," he moves my finger away, "in my face. Get your message straight, woman." I notice Takumi didn't deny the boyfriend comment.

"I don't care. Listen to me. My brother is upset, and he needs you. He is vulnerable and emotional. If I hear you did something nasty to him that he didn't want, I'm going to chop your balls off.  _I mean it._ "

"Oh I know you do." Takumi places a hand on my shoulder, I glare at him until he retracts it. "Well, I wouldn't do anything like that. Unless he asks for it of course, I'm hardly going to say no in that case. I'm not Raiden, y'know." I glare at him again. "Too soon?" I don't say anything.

"Raiden what now?" Both of us freeze, turning to look at Kaoru who opened the front door without us noticing. He looks like he would be blushing if he weren't trying to suppress it.

"Nothing important." I pat Kaoru's arm as I make a beeline for the garage door and my D-Wheel. "Conversation for another day, now go be gay or something."

* * *

By the time, I get to Poppo Time, it's pretty late since I stopped to get a burrito. Yusei, not wanting a burrito for some strange reason, told me about their opponents tomorrow. I try to make as little noise as possible, as to not wake Bruno sleeping on  _my_  couch.

"Is that you, Yuuka?" I nearly jump when Jack calls out to me as I go for the second set of stairs. I didn't notice him in the chair despite the street light shining through the small window. Yusei also told me what happened earlier. Jack didn't take being used as a pawn well, especially one that didn't achieve anything through his own merit. "I'm assume Yusei told you what happened earlier." I nod, and he sighs. He keeps his voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry about it. I raised my voice way too much back there. I promise to apologise to Rua."

"Don't worry. I'm sure the kid understands."

"I'm ashamed of myself." He leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. "My time as King, when I ruled over the top of the dueling world... In the end, it was all just manipulated by Godwin."

"I get what you mean." Jack raises an eyebrow at me. "Thinking back, Raiden lost that duel on purpose. I think he wanted me to go work with Team Liberation so he could take the City in one foul swoop. It won't do us any good to keep looking back on it. We just need to focus on getting stronger, that's what I think."

"But, to think that Dragan was forced by Godwin to lose." He smacks his fist on the arm of the chair. "If I can't defeat him, as long as I live, I won't be able to forgive my pride as a duelist."

"Then prove it." I say. "Between you and Dragan, which one of you would have won that match? Bet on your pride as a duelist."

"Naturally, I was the one who would have won." Jack stands up and passes me to walk up the stairs.

* * *

"Yuuka, you should take the chair." Crow stands up once I walk over to the computers in the pits after giving Jack putting the 5D's sticker on his arm. I take the seat without much of a thought. He mightn't be standing for long. That's what my brain comes up with.

"Here, in case you need it." Aki picks up a bucket and gives it to me. "Since the last time-"

"You put them up to this, didn't you?" I interrupt her, turning to Yusei.

"They did that themselves." He shrugs his shoulders.

"We went to the exhibition match." Aki explains. "Dragan's ace monster was giving out some energy when it faced off against Red Daemon's Dragon. We were just worried that it'll affect you."

"Yeah, that happens."

"The first wheelers, Jack and Dragan, have positioned themselves at the start line. The time has come for them to protect their positions!" The MC, thankfully, cuts the conversation short.

"Jack's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Rua asks, turning to Yusei.

"He will." Yusei assures him.

"Duel Mode, on." The computer generated voice drones.

"Here I come, Jack Atlas!" Dragan exclaims. "I plan on beating you this time!"

"Come on, then! If I lost to you, I couldn't call myself  _Jack Atlas_!" Jack scoffs as the countdown starts.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC chants before the two dart from the starting line. "Jack Atlas has taken off!" Jack seems to be putting more effort into going faster than his opponent than usual.

"So that's how strong your will is to win this duel, huh?" Dragan hums. "But I won't lose!" He tries to matches Jack's speed, but I think it's too late for that.

"Don't think you can best the machine we spent the last year building!" Jack shouts back at him, taking the first corner.

"And the one to clear the first corner is Jack Atlas!" The crowd cheers.

"Duel!" The chant. They draw their hands. From our little display in the pit, I see shock on their faces, both of them.

"What? These cards…" Jack mutters.

"It's the same hand as before!" Dragan exclaims. Have both of them drawn the same hands as their last duel? The odds of that...

"Unbelievable! My turn!" Jack declares. "I summon Top Runner(ATK:1100)!"

"Top Runner? That's the same monster as before!"

"I set two cards and end my turn! Now bring it, Dragan!" Jack eggs him on. "It's our destiny to finish our previous duel!"

"Let's battle, Jack Atlas! My turn!" Dragan says, bringing their Speed Counters to 1. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts(ATK:800)!"

"This is the exact same duel as before." Crow mutters, moving closer to the screen.

"Then, I set one card and end my turn!" There's a weird look on both of their faces, but that doesn't affect the intensity of them.

"My turn!" Jack shouts with more ferocity than normal. "I summon Power Breaker(ATK:1900)! Level 4 Top Runner tunes Level 4 Power Breaker! The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"There's no mistake." Yusei gasps softly.

"What are the chances?" I ask. "It must be one in millions."

"Something like that." Yusei answers.

"So the set card is the same?" Crow looks at us, as if we have the answer.

"Bring it, Dragan! I won't run or hide!" Jack smirks. "Try to defeat me with that set card! Here I go, Dragan! Red Daemon's Dragon attack Garmr of the Nordic Beasts! Absolute Powerforce!"

"I activate my trap, Nordic Relic Brisingamen!" Dragan interrupts Jack's turn.

"There it is!" Rua exclaims.

"That's the card of destiny?" Crow raises his eyebrows as if he expected something flashier.

"You risked your pride with that card! Show me its effect!" Jack's voice contains a hint of arrogance that once filled it in his days as King.

"My monster's attack becomes the same as another monster's original attack points until the End Phase! I select Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:800-3000)!" Dragan declares. "When Garmr destroys your monster while it's powered up by this effect, you take damage equal to its attack points!"

"What?" Jack exclaims, realising that he has to take 3000 points of damage if he doesn't have a counter.

"So this is what Dragan's set card does." Crow mutters.

"Interesting!" Jack hums. "I'll take you on! Here I do, Dragan! Now begins the real battle where we wager our prides! I activate my Counter Trap, Reaction Summon! When your monster's attack points change, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-below monster from my graveyard! I Special Summon Top Runner(ATK:1100)! Due to Top Runner's effect, my Synchro Monster gains 600 attack points(ATK:3000-3600)!"

"Alright! It has more attack points than the opponent!" Crow pumps his fist.

"Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack's attack leaves Dragan with 3400 life points.

"He did it! He defeated Dragan's trap card!" Rua cheers.

"The previous battle is over!" I hear the enthusiasm in Jack's voice. "Do you know that you can't defeat me?"

"Not good enough, Jack Atlas!" Dragan laughs. "I knew that Garmr would be destroyed. That trap is only the beginning!"

"What?" Jack exclaims.

"I can Special Summon this card from my hand when a monster on my field is destroyed in battle!" Dragan continues. "I Special Summon Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts in defense position(DEF:1100)! Bring it, Jack Atlas! The real battle is just getting started!"

"The trap card wasn't his trump card." Crow gasps.

"Top Runner attacks Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts!" Jack's attack amounts to nothing as they share the same attack and defense points.

"Why did he attack it when he couldn't destroy it?" Ruka asks, turning to us.

"In order to protect Top Runner." Bruno explains. "You see, during the End Phase, Red Daemon's Dragon's effect destroys all monsters on his own field that didn't attack. Get it?" Ruka nods.

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Dragan starts his turn. "I switch Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts from defense to attack position(DEF-ATK:1100-800)! When this card switches from defense to attack position, I can Special Summon one Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts from my deck! Appear, Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts(ATK:1200)! I can Special Summon this card from my hand when a Synchro Monster is on your field! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Guldfaxe(ATK:1600)!"

"Tuner Monster?" Aki echoes. "He's planning to summon Thor, Lord of the Aesir. He let Jack destroy Garmr so that he could use the trap card to summon a god." I feel Yusei's hand moving onto my arm as if to keep me in place. I let myself lean ever so slightly back onto him.

"Here I go, Jack Atlas! Level 4 Guldfaxe tunes Level 3 Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr! When the Door to Asgard opens, the Ancient War God will raise up his Magical Hammer! The very earth itself will shake as he appears from a roar of thunder! Synchro Summon! Descend, Thor, Lord of the Aesir(ATK:3500)!" Dragan raises his hand as lightning flashes. A familiar feeling of nausea returns as the monster lowers onto the field from a bright green light overhead.

"It's here!" The MC declares as a rainbow light surrounds the monster. The light brings back unpleasant memories. "Dragan's ace monster! It's Thor, Lord of the Aesir! One of the three Aesir Cards that have the power of the gods!"

"The Aesir have finally appeared!" Jack scoffs. "But Thor, Lord of the Aesir had 3500 attack points. Due to Top Runner's effect, Red Daemon's Dragon has 3600 attack points. Thor, Lord of the Aesir can't destroy Red Daemon's Dragon!"

"You still don't understand. I'll show you the power of a god!" Dragan exclaims. "Thor, Lord of the Aesir's effect activates! Once per turn, this card negates and gains your monster's effect!"

"What?"

"I negate Top Runner's effect and then I use that effect to increase Thor, Lord of the Aesir's attack points by 600(ATK:3500-4100/3600-3000)! Effect Absorber!" He declares. "The moment I activated the trap card Brisingamen, I knew this would happen. You'll find out the power of a god! Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Red Daemon's Dragon! Thunder Pyle!" A shock wave spreads as the hammer swings. Jack's life points fall to 2900. I feel Yusei hold me tighter.

"Whoa! He annihilated Jack Atlas's ace monster Red Daemon's Dragon in a single strike!" There's silence in the pit as we realise the strength of the Aesir cards. That attack. Could it have…

"This is the power of a god!" Dragan brags. "I promise to get back the pride that I lost! I set two cards and end my turn!"

"The impact felt like it would tear my body apart!" Jack emerges from the attack looking worse for wear. That attack dealt real damage. I turn to look at Yusei, who's full attention is on the duel. "This is what it's like to fight a god? My turn! I summon the Tuner Monster, Barrier Resonator, in defense position(DEF:800)! Then I switch Top Runner to defense position(ATK-DEF:1100-800). I set one card and end my turn!"

"That's pointless. No defense works against a god! My turn!" Dragan declares. "I activate Thor, Lord of the Aesir's effect! I use Top Runner's effect to increase Thor, Lord of the Aesir's attack points by 600(ATK:3500-4100)!" I spot flashes of lightning around Thor. I feel a burning in my throat, but I suppress it. "I activate the trap, Nordic Relic Mjölnir! My god can battle twice this turn and it deals 1000 points of damage for every monster that it destroys in battle!" Thunder and lightning rain down from the sky. The display images started to flicker. "Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Barrier Resonator! Thunder Pyle!" I hear Jack scream over the sound system. The video feed stablises in time for us to see Jack spin out, as his life points drop to 1900.

"Whoa!" The MC screams. "The god's power caused Jack Atlas to lose his balance!"

"What was that impact?" Yusei mutters.

"Did you see that?" Crow turns to Yusei

"Jack took real damage." I answer, everyone looks at me. "The other cards didn't manifest themselves, but Thor did."

"Unbelievable! The god's power has become real?" The MC continues as if he heard me talking.

"What's going on?" Aki asks me, I just shrug my shoulders.

"Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Top Runner! Thunder Pyle!" I spot a faint glow from Dragan's eye on the monitor. It must be their Rune Eye. Jack's scream comes over the sound system as his life points drop to 900. He spins out as he is engulfed by a cloud of smoke.

"Did that hurt? The impact swallowed up Jack Atlas!"

"Jack!" Crow exclaims. "What's going on? Jack isn't coming out!"

"Did Jack Atlas crash?" The MC shouts for dramatic effect.

"Crash?" I hear Dragan mutter. The smoke slowly clears, with Jack emerging from it looking very battered by the attack.

"Jack has emerged! He didn't crash!" The MC roars over the sound system.

"That impact was too weak to make Jack Atlas crash!" Jack hums as the crowd begins to cheer.

"Stop making us worry." Crow puts a hand on Aki's shoulder, sighing in relief.

"Jack Atlas, this is why you're an opponent worth defeating!" Dragan smirks. "I won't let you escape by crashing! I'll defeat you by dueling!"

"I'll send those words right back at you! You'll discover Jack Atlas's power!" Jack exclaims. "I activate the trap card, Tuner's Reflect! When two or more of my Tuner Monsters are destroyed this turn, I can Special Summon those two Tuner Monsters(ATK:300/ATK:800). Then, you take damage equal to the Special Summoned Monsters' attack points!" Dragan's life points fall to 2000. "Jack Atlas won't lose against you!"

"Alright!" Rua pumps his fist. "He dealt 1400 points of damage!"

"Since he has two Tuner Monsters, he's planning to summon a new Synchro Monster." Dragan reasons. "But no matter what Synchro Monster you summon, it'll be powerless against a god! I set one card and end my turn(ATK:4100-3500)!"

"Let's fight, Dragan! My turn!" Jack declares. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand!" Dragan's life points take another fall, leaving him at 1200.

"Since you can't defeat a god, you've changed your strategy to dealing effect damage." Dragan scoffs.

"You're wrong! I always crush my enemy with absolute power! That's how Jack Atlas duels!" Jack exclaims. "I activate my trap, Descending Lost Star. I Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard in defense position. Resurrect, Red Daemon's Dragon(DEF:2000)! When this effect Special Summons a monster, it loses its effects and 1 Level, has 0 defense points and can't change battle position(LV:8-7/DEF:2000-0)!"

"That's not good enough to be a shield against a god!" Dragan smirks.

"Who said I was going to use it as a shield?" Dragan's face falls at Jack's words. A red energy begins to surround back. I feel my windpipe burn. "Look at this wild fighting spirit surging through my body! I've reached a new stage known as Burning Soul!" Jack's Signer Mark begins to glow. I raise my hands, pressing my fingertips against my temples. "Level 4 Top Runner and Level 1 Barrier Resonator double tune Level 7 Red Daemon's Dragon! The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Scarlet Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)!" I hear gasps before the crowd starts to cheer.

"Level 12 and 3500 attack points! Awesome!" Rua cheers before they return into the stadium. The crowd only gets louder as Scarlet Nova Dragon flies overhead.

"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yusei asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll be fine." I answer. I feel Aki put her hand on my arm. I sigh.

"What's that monster?" The MC screams, making my head hurt more. "It's a battle between god and the devil!"

"Yusei, is that card…" Crow turns to Yusei.

"Yeah, that's Jack's new ace monster, Scarlet Nova Dragon." Yusei says as energy begins to surround the two monsters. I shudder as my head throbs.

"Look at that!" Aki exclaims.

"Scarlet Nova Dragon and Thor are resonating." Yusei gasps. I feel his gaze turn to me. "Yuuka, go to the infirmary."

"What?" I turn completely in the chair. The pit goes deadly silent.

"You should go to the infirmary. If you stay here any longer, you're likely to faint again." The duel continues in the background, and everyone else turns their attention to it. "I just want you to be safe."

"I'm fine, Yusei." I say that as another throbbing sensation hits. Yusei reaches out for me on instinct, holding me close to him.

"Yuuka, please." Yusei has this desperation in his eyes.

"I'm okay, really." His face doesn't move, stuck on that expression he knows will break me eventually. I know if I don't go, he's just going to worry about me. That could come back to bite him later should he duel. I sigh. "Fine."

"I'll go with her." Aki stands up, hearing me say that.

"Thank you." Yusei kisses me on the forehead before letting me get up.

"I'm doing this because I love him." I say to Aki as we walk to the infirmary.

"I know." She laughs. "You'd never go willingly." It's not that long of a walk to the infirmary. I joke about it being handy for Yusei. Aki only shakes her head with a smile. The faces of the staff in the infirmary fall when I walk in.

"Oh. You're back." The woman who I assume in charge says.

"Yep." I answer, about as enthusiastic as she is.

"She's feeling faint again, so we've brought her here." Aki explains.

"Well, there's a surprise." The woman frowns. "Just sit on the bed." She points to one of the two beds in the room. I go over and sit, crossing my legs. Aki sits in the chair beside me. She fixes a piece of hair that had fallen into my face.

"You don't have to stay here. I know you want to watch the match." I turn to look at Aki.

"Are you sure?" She asks.

"I know you want to go, it's okay. The staff are here, so I won't die. Again." Aki gives me a scolding look for that comment before standing up.

"Call us if you need anything." Aki puts her hand on my arm again. "If you're still here, I'll come get at the end of the match."

"Right." I nod. "Thank you." She smiles before walking out.

"Do you suffer from low blood pressure?" The nurse walks over to me.

"What?"

"Low blood pressure can cause people to faint, especially if you stand for too long." The nurse rolls her eyes and she talks with a monotone voice.

"Um no, not to my knowledge."

"Do you know why you always feel faint?" I'm starting to feel a bit attacked by this woman's behaviour.

"I don't know, I didn't eat breakfast this morning."

"Breakfast is an important meal that you shouldn't skip." She drones on like she's said it a million times. She brings me over a bottle of water and a small packet of crackers. "Eat these, they should make you feel better."

"Thank you." I say.

"Yeah, yeah. Stand here as long as you need to." She sighs. "I'll be at my station if you need me." I nod but don't say anything else. She goes back to a little desk and resumes her conversation with the nurse who seems just as pissed off as she is. Another wave of nausea hits. Must be another Aesir, I reckon.

Jack walks into the infirmary looking pretty battered, and the head nurse groans. He takes the seat beside me that Aki had vacated.

"So you lost, huh?" I ask.

"I barely won against Dragan, but I got taken out by Brave." He puts his hand up to the nurse as she starts to walk over. "I'm fine." She gives him a plaster for the cut on his face, but he just keeps it in his hands.

"Good for you." I answer. "Got your pride back."

"I have a question." Jack turns to me. His face is completely blank so I can't read it, and his aura is giving me nothing. "Why do you, all of a sudden, feel sick sometimes?" I go to answer, but he keeps talking. "It's always to do with this supernatural stuff. I realised that's what it was when we went to Nazca."

"I don't actually know." I sigh. "Something to do with my ability to sense auras, I'm guessing. That I'm more sensitive to all that supernatural stuff than any of you."

"Seems fair." He says. We sit in silence for a while.

"Did you come down just to ask me that?"

"I did." He nods.

"You could have waited." I shrug my shoulders.

"I didn't because I know you're hiding the fact you see that thing in the sky from the rest of us."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I lie.

"That's a lie." He says. "When you space out, you're always looking in the direction of it."

"That's a coincidence." I say. "I'm not a Signer, I can't see it unless I'm touching one of you. I stand pretty close to Yusei, so I tend to see it a lot."

"I don't believe you." His eyes narrow. "I don't know why you can see it, and you clearly don't either."

"I see it because I'm touching one of you."

"You're hiding something." His gaze turns into a glare. "Don't tell me that you're not. I know you well enough to know that you're lying."

"I'm not this time. I swear." I sigh. There's no guarantee that if I tell Jack, it won't get to Yusei. I'll stick to my story, for now.

"I'll believe you." He scoffs. "For now."

"Thank you."

"Yusei thinks you're lying."

"Does he now?" I sigh. "Well that makes me feel shitty."

"You feel shitty?" Jack raises an eyebrow at me, "Try dealing with the fact that Yusei forgave me despite me being the shitty guy on the planet. I reminded of it everytime I see Stardust, and that's a lot."

"Dude, you stole a D-Wheel and a card," I squint a little at him, "I came back from the dead to try and  _murder_  him. If we're gonna compare how shitty we are, let's just calls it quits now and say that I'm officially the shittier human being."

"I guess." He says nothing more. I stare down at my hands as our conversation turns into silence again. I start eating my crackers as an excuse not to talk. If we talk for much longer, inconsistencies might start to appear and that's not what I need right now. A third wave of nausea appears.

"Give me that plaster." I say, taking it off Jack. I put the plaster delicately over the small jagged cut on his face. It probably came from his chipped visor. He mutters a small thank you. My head starts to clear. It's a familiar feeling. This time, I'm able to pin it. I look towards the exit of the infirmary. "Shooting Star Dragon." I mutter.

"What did you say?" Jack asks.

"Yusei summoned Shooting Star Dragon."

"Do you want to go back up into the pit?" I nod. I get up and start walking towards the pit. Jack makes me walk slower than I would have. That big brother instinct of his never really left.

"The winner of the incredible WRGP semifinal battle is Team 5D's!" The MC roars as we make our way back into the center of the stadium. I run into the pit as Yusei and Harald come back into the home stretch. I smile as the crowd start chanting Yusei's name. They pull to a stop in front of us.

"Well done." Harald takes his helmet off. "I lose, Yusei Fudo. I can't believe your goal was to activate Odin's Eye. Your wisdom was greater than the power of the gods." I feel my heartbeat stutter as Harald's Rune Eye shines. "My Rune Eye is telling me that you're our friends. I'm counting on you. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders." I start moving towards them.

"Yeah I know." There's a hint of sarcasm to Yusei's voice, but there's still something genuine to it. I throw my arms around Yusei's neck, surprising him. I smother his face in kisses. He laughs, putting a hand on the top of my head.

"You did it, honey!"

"Yusei!" Everyone else is just coming up to us now.

"Everyone…" Yusei smiles. He just up off his D-Wheel. A member of the staff takes it off the track for him. Everyone starts walking away, but I stay where I am.

"Are you sure it's okay to let them handle this?" A member of Team Ragnarok's pit crew says.

"Yusei Fudo's destiny isn't destruction. He will guide humanity's potential." Harald smiles, before noticing me. "And who are-" I see Team Ragnarok's Rune Eyes activate. I feel my eyes burn orange in response. He gains a lopsided grin.

"Do you know how to stop that thing?" I point to the Ark Cradle in the sky, now that's in my line of vision.

"Unfortunately no." He answers. "But I'm intrigued as to how you can see it. A mere psychic such as yourself shouldn't be able to see it. Even one as powerful as yourself."

"You're a psychic too, I'm guessing." I say without a hint of doubt. His aura is different from his teammates.

"Why yes, that's why I can read your aura." He raises a hand to his face. "Is your power level as a psychic the reason why you can see it? You're one of the strongest psychics I've encountered. It's almost like you have two auras combined together."

"I was hoping you could answer that."

"I'm sorry, my dear. But I don't hold the answers you're looking for."

"Yuuka." Yusei walks over to me, looking between Harald and I. "Come on."

"Okay." I say before walking away, feeling no more satisfied than I did before.


	70. Written in the Stars

I hear Kaoru pace in his room as I lie on my bed. He asked me to come over, didn't say why. He's getting ready. I take a sneak peek at his thoughts, he can't decide what to wear. Red flannel and jeans, I tell him mentally. It's always a good choice. I hear the scraping of the hangers in his wardrobe. I'll look very plain in my riding jacket next to him, I realise. I'd have to care at this point. I've been quite lazy lately. My riding jacket is always where I am, meanwhile all of my nice clothes are here. I hear the door to Kaoru's room open, followed by a knock on my door. Kaoru, knowing not to wait for an answer by this point, opens the door. I notice that the flannel is slightly too big for his already broad frame.

"That's Takumi's shirt, isn't it?" I groan.

"Maybe." He avoids my eyes.

"Why do you do this to me?" I get off the bed, standing up. "What are we doing anyway?"

"Well." He gulps. His eyes move to Kasumi's bedroom door.

" _Oh._ " I say. "That was pretty quick."

"Can't really hide it, can I?"

"I suppose." I shrug my shoulders. "Considering he was over yesterday and then I called you gay, she probably saw this coming."

"If it makes my life easier, then I'm not going to complain." He sticks his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight between each leg. "Who else do I know that's gay?"

"If we're talking gay in the sense of not straight, like, everyone we know."

"What?" Kaoru mutters. "Even like Yusei and the others?"

"Yusei's panromantic, he doesn't care what gender people are. Which is good for me, cause I don't really identify as any gender even though I present as female. Even all of the gang people we know too. Raiden is the only one that's hundred percent straight basically." I nod. "Well, I mean Reika likes guys, but you know since she's asexual and is also agender, we don't really count her. That's honestly about it. We have a way of finding each other, I guess." Kaoru squints at me a little, confused. "Dude, Raiden's the only straight psychic I've ever known, get over it. Maybe Divine, but that's about it. Geez, something about being marginalized for something beyond our control. What am I talking about being psychic or gay?"

"That's a fair point." He responds.

"Are you ready?" I ask, changing the topic.

"I don't know. Are you?" Kaoru makes a face that perfectly sums up how he's feeling. Lots of fear, with some gay in there. "Okay, come on. We getting this over with."

"Kaoru honey, can you put some coffee on please?" I hide my chuckle as Kasumi calls out to us from the sitting room. Kaoru rolls his eyes, going straight into the kitchen. "Oh Yuuka, I didn't know you were here." She stands up to give me a hug.

"I just got here." I answer.

"Mrs. Whiskers, get off the table!" I hear Kaoru shout from the kitchen, followed by a thump on the floor. The other door opens, revealing our cat scurrying into the sitting room. She continuously rubs her head on my leg. I put her up, only for her to squirm in my arms.

"Why are you like this?" I say to the cat.

"Apparently, cats rub their head on things to mark them with their scents." Kasumi explains, sitting back down. "It's kind of affectionate, but not really." I sit down too, Mrs. Whiskers just sits awkwardly in my arms.

"I made you one too." Kaoru says as he comes in. He hands me my coffee after he hands Kasumi hers. "Cause you always want coffee." Mrs. Whiskers jumps out of my arms as soon as I open them, instead opting for the cushion between Kasumi and I.

"Oh yes, it's so true." I smile, taking my hourly caffeine dose. I notice that Kaoru didn't make a cup from himself. Kaoru sits on the other sofa, sitting at an angle so he's looking at us.

_The caffeine makes my anxiety worse._  I hear Kaoru in my mind. I try to portray the shrugging of my shoulders in my face alone.

"Are you not having anything, son?" Kasumi asks.

"Uh no." Kaoru mutters.

"Why not? Is something wrong?" She says before taking a sip.

"Well." Kaoru moves a hand to the back of his neck. "Kind of." He glances between Kasumi and I quickly. "I have something to tell you."

"I know you're gay, son, it's okay." Kasumi cuts him off before he has the chance to say anything. I smile into my cup, knowing that this was probably going to happen.

"I'm-" His eyes widen. "W-Wait, what?"

"I know that you're gay, I've always known."

"And you're… okay with that?" He blinks really fast, as if the words haven't quite registered yet.

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I? I still love and support you, honey." Kasumi chuckles. "I've been expecting this for a while. A few months ago, you said you were bringing a friend home. I thought you were bringing home a boy, so I put makeup and everything! Nope, you just showed up with your sister."

"That would explain a lot." I say, sipping my coffee. "Am I the only person who didn't see this coming?"

"Probably." Kasumi chuckles. "Aren't you bi? You should have clocked him."

"Yep, he's bi too actually." I shrug my shoulders.

"That's okay too." She nods at Kaoru, who still seems out of it.

"I thought it was funny, because I used to beat up the people who beat him up for being gay. I never realised. Still would have beat them up either way." I shake my head.

"And you call your brother oblivious." Kasumi sighs.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I mutter under my breath.

"Because you're an idiot." I put on my best offended face at Kaoru's comment. "Actually, there's another thing too. I-"

"You're a psychic too?" Kasumi cuts him off. "Why else would you go looking for her?"

"Well yeah." Kaoru blinks slowly.

"I still love you, son." Kasumi gets up from the couch, pulling Kaoru into a hug. She stretches her arm out for me. I reluctantly get up, letting them have their nice family moment. "And you, Yuuka. It's okay. You're still my kids and I love the both of you." She pats both of our heads, despite them being above hers, before sitting down. "I can't believe you thought I'd reacted badly to that news." Kasumi shakes her head. "You do know that your aunt Kyoko was a lesbian?"

"Wait." I put my hand up. I turn and put my now empty coffee cup down "My mother? A lesbian?"

"Did you not know?" Kasumi turns to me, surprised. "When the Zero Reverse happened, she had just moved in with her girlfriend." I stare at her for a few seconds, mouth wide open.

"I had two moms?"

"Yes." She nods slowly. "In that your adoptive mother had a girlfriend, who you would have called mom also. I mean you already have two moms since I gave birth to you, but details. You didn't know about her?"

"She never mentioned her." I press my hands together. "Or maybe she did? I don't remember much, since I was so young."

"She must have died in the Zero Reverse." Her face falls. A silence falls over the room. I stare at my hands. I almost had a completely family. Two mothers to support me as I grew up. Ripped away from me before I even knew what I had. "Wait a second." Kasumi stands up, leaving the room. I feel Kaoru going to say something, but he stops. I sigh. It's hard to take in. No one ever told me. Like a piece of me that was missing the entire time, but I never knew it was gone.

"What's that?" Kaoru asks as Kasumi comes back into the room, carrying a box caked in dust.

"Well," She exhales deeply, sitting down with the box at her feet. "Kasumi moved into a new apartment with her girlfriend a few days before the Zero Reverse. She asked me to keep her photography stuff so it would safe. She never came back for it." She sighs. "So, I kept it up in the attic. I've never looked at it, but I thought you might want to see it." She picks up the lid of the cardboard box, placing it on the floor such that the dust doesn't rub off on the carpet. She takes out some fancy camera equipment out of the box, setting it on the rug delicately. I move over on the couch, right next to Kasumi, so Kaoru can join us. "She studied journalism back in college, but she loved photography. That was her passion." There's a sad smile on Kasumi's face. There's a couple of photo albums neatly placed in the box. She takes out the first one, opening it up. The album is filled with photographs about nature. One of a blue butterfly on a sink stands out to me. The next album in the box catches my attention. I gently take it out of the box, setting it on my lap. A polaroid falls out of the album. Kaoru picks it up, turning to me. I gasp, taking it.

"That's you." Kasumi points to the baby in the photograph. "That was taken the day she gave that box to me. You were born with dark hair, you still had it at that point." Kasumi puts her hand over mine, turning the photo. I read the date on the back of it, recognising as the day before the Zero Reverse. I turn it back, staring at the image. My baby self is staring at the camera with wide eyes and a smile. I was about a year old at this point. I slip the polaroid into a little pocket inside the cover of the album. I start turning the pages of the album. It's filled with pictures of me. I have to blink back the tears. In some pictures, I'm being held by a blonde woman with grey-blue eyes. That must be her, I realise, the woman that would have been my other mother. Kasumi barely looks at the album, keeping her eyes on my face.

The next photo is my mother and Kasumi together. You can see their resemblance as sisters, despite how different their personalities seem. Between my mother's pixie haircut and her tongue sticking out, it's almost hard to believe they're sisters. Kasumi always seems so poised. I notice the pink choker I'm wearing now on Kasumi. She must have stopped wearing it out of grief, I realise. These photos seem to be taken over a really small space of time.

I turn the page of the photo album. There's two photos next to each other. One of me and a toddler, who I assume is Kaoru judging by the light brown hair. The other is of me and a tanned baby who must be a good few months younger than me. Judging by the look of me, it wasn't taken too long apart from the other photo of me.

"That's Kaoru, we went to the park that day." Kasumi confirms, pointing at the photo. "That one…" She hums, pointing at the smaller baby in the second picture. "That was her godson, her best friend's son. Masahiro was the friend's name, I think. Didn't know him that well. The first time I met him, Kyoko spilled coffee on this poor girl. He ended up marrying her if I'm remembering that right. She was his best man, and showed up in a tux."

"Iconic." I say. If I ever get offered to be a best man, I'm gonna rock the tux and a high tight ponytail.

"I can't remember their baby's name." She sighs. "They died in the Zero Reverse, they were working on the project."

I turn over the page and a photo falls out. I pick up the photo. It's a photo of a couple with the baby from the last picture. I instantly recognise the man in the picture. That can't be right.

"Masahiro Fudo." I mutter.

"That was his name, yep, definitely." Kasumi nods. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Yusei." I point at the baby.

"Yes! That was his name- Oh my gods!" Kasumi turns to me, in shock. "What a coincidence!"

Yusei and I  _knew_  each other before the Zero Reverse. That's what this means. It doesn't feel real. Like some made up romantic comedy. But  _no._  This is fact.

"How is that even possible?" Kaoru raises his eyebrows. "What are the chances of that?"

"Practically impossible." I turn over the photo.  _Look how cute my godson is_. The writing is decorated with a heart and a date. I smile. "But things work out in the end."

"Take the photos." Kasumi smiles back at me. "I doubt he has any baby pictures. I think there's a few more of them in there."

"Oh really?" I say. She puts her hand on the album and nods.

"You two need them more than I do."

* * *

"You guys aren't going to believe this!" By the time I get back to Poppo Time, only Yusei is in the garage. "Wait, it's only you." I laugh. "But you're not going to believe this."

"Enlight me." Yusei smiles, wiping the oil on his hands into a rag. I admire his arms since he's not wearing his jacket. He kisses me when I walk up to him with the photo album.

"Okay." I take a seat on the couch. Yusei takes a seat beside me, sneaking an arm around my waist. "Kasumi dug out a photo album that belonged to my mother, right?" Yusei hums, kissing my temple. I flip it open on the first page.

"You were a cute baby." He says, knowing that the pictures were of me despite the difference in hair color. I go to question why he knows, but then I realise how easy it is to put two and two together.

"Thank you, I grew my face myself." I see Yusei roll his eyes. "But that's not the only thing that's in here." I flip forward a few pages forward.

"Who's that?" Yusei points at my mother's girlfriend.

"So apparently, I had gay moms."

"Well, you didn't lick it off a stone." Yusei says it so bluntly that I laugh. "I distinctly remember you telling Martha that you were allowed marry a girl because Jack could."

"To which Jack replied that he could marry a boy because I could."

"Is that Kaoru?" Yusei points at the picture of Kaoru and I in the park.

"Yep." I nod. "But, do you know who this is?" I point to the baby in the next photo. I look at Yusei who seems confused.

"Should I?"

"Turn the page." Yusei delicately turns the page, landing on the photo of him as a baby with his parents. A small gasp escapes his mouth. I stare at his face as many emotions flicker in his eyes.

"That's…" All he can do is mutter.

"This album is full of pictures taken by my mother." I say, holding his other arm. "If you look." I take the photo out of the sleeve and turn it over, revealing the writing on the back. "Do you know what that means?"

"Godson." He mutters. "We knew each other before the Zero Reverse."

"That's right." I nod.

"What are the chances?" He peels his eyes from the picture to look at me.

"Impossibly small." I answer.

"This is so strange," Yusei's eyes return to the picture. "I still can't believe it."

"Your family doesn't have a destiny of destruction." I say. "Look how happy they were. That's not a family of people who would make this world a worse place. Don't listen to what people say. You are your own person, you make your destiny."

I don't care what Yusei may say about himself. He's perfect in my eyes. He carries this burden on his shoulders. That he has to somehow make up for his father being involved in the Zero Reverse. He won't rest until he feels like he's done enough that his guilt will vanish. I don't know if that day will ever come. Who knows what the future will hold. All I know is that I want him to stay alive. Even if that means sacrificing myself, so that he might carry on to see his own bright future in front of him. I know that means I won't be beside him to see it happen, but if that's what I must do, so be it.

"Thank you." Yusei smiles sadly at me. I kiss him so I don't have to see him being sad.

"And we found each other anyway." I chuckle, putting my hand on top of his.

"Do you wonder if we could find each other in every lifetime?" Yusei presses another kiss to my temple.

"I think that's called soulmates." I mutter as Yusei's face comes closer to mine.

"Maybe so." He whispers before kissing me again.


	71. Like I'm Gonna Lose You

"It's time for the finals of the first-ever WRGP!" The drumbeat accompanying the MC's speech only serve to make my anxiety grow. "Today's teams made it this far after winning many battles! Team 5D's defeated Team Ragnarok! Team New World are undefeated giants who are creating a new era of dueling!" The crowd roars as fireworks shoot up. Jack waits on his D-Wheel in the pit.

"They will use the Machine Emperors and an anti-Synchro battle strategy. And we don't know the power of Jose's Machine Emperor." Yusei gives him some final words.

"Leave it to me!" Jack pumps his fist. "We also gained new powers in order to fight them."

"We're counting on you, Jack." Yusei smiles, patting his D-Wheel. Jack sits off the starting line, so we walk into the pit. Crow lets me sit down again. I sigh, just going with it.

"Yusei." I mutter. He leans down, expecting to whisper. "Team New World, they all have the same aura."

"What does that mean?" He whispers.

"I don't know." I sigh. "Kaoru and I have the same aura because I'm basically the reason he's a psychic. For these, there's something about the similarity. It's almost like they're same person."

"Okay." Yusei puts a hand to his mouth. "We'll see if your intuition is right later, I suppose."

"Here it comes!" Crow says as Luciano pulls up to the starting line. Not before he does a flip and activates his duel disk midair, show off. The crowds cheers at the trick, to which he just laughs.

"Let's see if you can compete against the Wheel of Fortune!" Jack scoffs at Luciano's over the top nature, as if he himself is not guilty of it.

"You're about to find out." Luciano says, with a laugh. This makes me think that he has something planned.

"First Wheelers, Jack and Luciano, are at the starting line, and the final duel is about to begin!" The MC announces before the classic  _Duel Mode, on_  drones. "The World Riding Duel Grand Prix Finals is about to begin!" The countdown begins. My heart is my mouth. Understandably, for once, because if we lose, the City is destroyed. "Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The two duelists set off. Surprisingly, Luciano manages to shoot ahead of Jack. "Whoa! Luciano is out to a fast start!"

"What?" Jack exclaims.

"Don't let him go first, Jack!" Crow shouts as if he can hear him.

"They simultaneously enter the corner!" I feel Yusei's hand on my arm. I think he's secretly more nervous than he's letting on.

"Don't underestimate the Wheel of Fortune!" Jack proclaims.

"You're fired up. I'll let you have it." Luciano smirks.

"Whoa! Jack Atlas of Team 5D's took the first corner!" I feel Yusei tense. This seems a little weird to me. Normally, most duelists fall over each other for the opportunity to go first.

"Duel!" They chant.

"My turn!" Jack declares. "I summon the Tuner Monster, Dark Resonator, in defense position(DEF:300)! I set three cards and end my turn!"

"Will you do the same thing as usual and Synchro Summon?" Luciano taunts him. "It seems you've forgotten about our Machine Emperor's effects."

"Do you think that I've been waiting my time before this battle?" Jack frowns and raises his head.

"All that effort is pointless." Luciano smirks, knowing he's provoking Jack.

"Stop bragging and attack me!" Jack shouts back.

"Here I go! My turn!" Luciano cackles like a madman... kid? "I summon Sky Core in defense position(DEF:0)! I set three cards and end my turn! Now what will you do?"

"That's their key card!" Bruno exclaims. "Are they planning to summon a Machine Emperor?"

"Yeah." Crow answers, sighing. He was probably hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with this so soon, but we just have to accept it.

"My turn!" Jack declares as their Speed Counter reaches 2. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Dimension Switch! By turning this card's effect on and off, I can remove from play or return a monster to my field. Switch on! I remove Dark Resonator from play! Then, I Special Summon Gear Changer(ATK:1500)! When monsters are only on your side of the field, I can Special Summon this card. Then, it gains Level equal to your monster's Level! It gains Sky Core's 1 Level(LV:4-5)! By turning Dimension Switch off, the monster that was removed from play returns to my field! Level 3 Dark Resonator tunes Level 5 Gear Changer! The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"

"Jack Atlas's ace monster, Red Daemon's Dragon, has already appeared!" The MC screams as the speakers hurt my eardrums.

"Your strategies are simple because you only use power." Luciano exaggerates a sigh to taunt him further.

"This power proves the bond of 5D's! Witness the power that we acquired through numerous duels! I summon the Tuner Monster, Trust Guardian(ATK:0)!" I'm grateful Jack is using Trust Guardian. We did not deal with that fake Jack Atlas bull for him not to use it. "When Red Daemon's Dragon is on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Appear, Red Nova(ATK:0)!"

"Two Tuner Monsters?" Luciano questions. Jack's already summoned Scarlet Nova Dragon if I'm remembering right, this shouldn't be a surprise.

"My soul burns! Witness ultimate power! Burning Soul!" Jack's Signer Mark glows. "Level 3 Trust Guardian and Level 1 Red Nova double tune Level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon! [quote] Synchro Summon! Come, Scarlet Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)!"

"It appeared!" Rua cheers.

"This card gains 500 attack points for every Tuner in my graveyard. Dark Resonator, Trust Guardian and Red Nova are in my graveyard, so the three Tuners give 1500 attack points(ATK:3500-5000)!" Jack explains.

"You're still making it stronger? I'm amazed." Luciano shrugs his shoulders with a sarcastic smile.

"Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Sky Core!" Jack shouts.

"Alright, Jack!" Rua pumps his fist. "If an attack destroys it, he can't summon a Machine Emperor!"

"I flip over my trap card, Twin Vortex!" Luciano interrupts, dashing that hope. "This card destroys your monster and my monster!"

"Scarlet Nova Dragon can't be destroyed by your spell, trap or monster effect!" Jack refutes.

"I was aiming for this!" Luciano cackles in response. "Since an effect destroyed Sky Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Summon Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity(ATK:0), Skiel Top(ATK:600), Skiel Attack(ATK:1000), Skiel Guard(DEF:300) and Skiel Carrier(ATK:400)! Combine, Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity!" A green light flashes. Each part joins together to form the Machine Emperor. "Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's attack points are equal to the total of its individual parts(ATK:0-2200)!"

"He already summoned it!" Crow exclaims. "Don't let your guard down, Jack!"

"The Synchro Killer, Machine Emperor, has finally appeared!" The MC roars. I jump slightly at the volume of it. Yusei's arms wrap around me.

"Are you doing okay?" He asks, resting his chin on my head. Not before he presses a kiss to the top of my head.

"Yeah." I mutter. I'm only going to get worse, so now I can say that I'm doing okay. That, and Yusei is definitely more nervous than he lets on. He's not normally this forward in front of people. For someone who seems so perfect to everyone else, he really is an anxious wreck. But he's my anxious wreck. I let him think that I'm okay. Anything to make the burden on his shoulders a little easier to bear.

"Scarlet Nova Dragon isn't afraid of 2200 attack points! Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity! Burning Soul!" Jack shouts in typical over dramatic fashion.

"Skiel Guard's effect activates! It can negate your monster's attack once per turn!" A green barrier surrounds the monster long enough for the attack to be deflected.

"I already know its effects!" Jack frowns. "I activate my trap card, Power Pressure! When a monster's attack is negated, you take 1000 points of damage!" Luciano's life points fall to 3000.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Infinite Aura! For every 100 points of damage, Infinite Aura gains one counter(CNTR:1-10)." Luciano explains. Jack questions it, prompting him to continue. "Every time I take damage, the Continuous Trap, Infinite Aura, records that pain! And when this device activates…" He ends with his infamous cackle.

"How lame! I end my turn!" Jack scoffs.

"Alright Jack!" Bruno cheers. "He dealt 1000 points of damage to Luciano while remaining unscathed!"

"My turn!" Luciano declares, taking their Speed Counters to 3. "Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect activates! It can absorb a Synchro Monster once per turn!" Green tendrils shoot out from the Machine Emperor's chest cavity, curling around Scarlet Nova Dragon. "I'm taking Scarlet Nova Dragon!"

"I won't let you!" Jack exclaims. "I remove Scarlet Nova Dragon from play during your turn to prevent your monster from attacking! How's that? Without a target, your effect and attack are negated!"

"Yes! He did it!" Ruka smiles. "As long as Jack has Scarlet Nova Dragon's power…"

"He doesn't need to be afraid of the Machine Emperor!" Rua finishes.

"How brazen." Luciano merely raises his eyebrows. "I set one card and end my turn!"

"Scarlet Nova Dragon that was removed from play returns at the End Phase!" Scarlet Nova Dragon appears in a burst of flames.

"Whoa!" The MC hollers. "He skillfully avoided Team New World's strategy! And standing in their way is Jack Atlas's newest ace, Scarlet Nova Dragon!"

"I already anticipated this situation! Scarlet Nova Dragon has nothing to fear from a Machine Emperor! Here I go! My turn!" Jack declares, bringing their Speed Counters to 4. "I summon Force Resonator(ATK:500)! By sending it to the graveyard when my Synchro Monster attacks this turn, you can't activate your monster's effect! Scarlet Nova Dragon isn't affected by your Machine Emperor's effect!"

"What?" Luciano mutters.

"And since there's another Tuner in my graveyard, it gains 500 attack points(ATK:5000-5500)! This battle is mine! Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity! Take this, Burning Soul!" Jack shouts.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Infinite Prison! By discarding one card from my hand, I can treat a monster card in my graveyard as a spell card and set in my Spell and Trap Card Zone!" Luciano interrupts. Interesting effect. Why would he set, what I imagine is, Sky Core?

"How brash!" Jack scoffs. "Vanish, Machine Emperor!" The attack brings Luciano to 0 life points, winning the battle for Jack, but the war is not over.

"The Continuous Trap, Infinite Aura's effect activates. For every 100 points of damage, I place an Aura Counter on the card(CNTR:10-40)." Luciano continues but driving ahead to go back into his team's pit.

"It's over! Team 5D's first duelist, Jack Atlas, defeated Team New World's Luciano! He won using his miraculous new power, Scarlet Nova Dragon!" The MC roars.

"It's strange. He defeated the Machine Emperor so easily." Yusei mutters just loud enough that I can heard it, his arms still around me.

"That's what I'm thinking. Secret strategy?" I answer.

"Definitely." He nods slightly as to stop my head from moving too much. I notice Team New World staring at us from the other pit. They're obviously up to something.

"Team New World's second Wheeler is Placido! What strategy will he use?" The MC talks as Placido speeds out of the pit.

"You've come, you worthless punk! I'll crush you, just like I did Luciano!" Jack proclaims as he catches up to him.

"You talk big for a bug." Placido scoffs. "I'll put you in your place!"

"Duel!" They chant, starting the second part of the duel.

"My turn!" Placido declares. "I summon Wise Core in defense position(DEF:0)!"

"He's already planning to summon his Machine Emperor." Aki sighs.

"I activate Speed Spell - Lightning Rod!" Placido continues. "When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I can destroy one monster on my field! When a card effect destroys Wise Core, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity(ATK:0), Wisel Top(ATK:500), Wisel Attack(ATK:1200), Wisel Guard(DEF:1200) and Wisel Carrier(ATK:800)! Combine, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity(ATK:2500)!" The parts come together in a green light. "Here I go, Jack Atlas! I activate Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect! Once per turn, it absorbs one Synchro Monster on your field!" My head suddenly feels lighter. Yusei's grip tightens on me. I lean back into him.

"You still don't understand? Your Synchro-sealing strategy doesn't work against Scarlet Nova Dragon!" Jack shouts at him. "I activate Scarlet Nova Dragon's effect! By removing it from play, one of your monsters can't attack! It'll always end the same way! You can never use the same strategy against Jack Atlas!"

"That's my line." Placido scoffs at Jack's dramatics."Did you think the same strategy would work against me?"

"What?"

"I activate the trap, Infinity Barrage!" Placido declares. "When you have no monsters, if I choose not to attack, you take 400 points for every monster! Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is treated as one monster, but it's actually five monsters. In other words, you take five monsters' worth of damage for 2000 points!" Jack's life points half in an instant, leaving him at 2000. "I set two cards and end my turn. Yusei is my only opponent. I don't need to use my true power against you!"

"He knew absorbing a Synchro Monster wouldn't work, but he did it to Scarlet Nova Dragon from play and leave Jack's field wide open! It all led to this trap card!" Crow exclaims.

"Then I'll force you to get serious!" Jack points at Placido. "I'll show you that you can't survive against Scarlet Nova Dragon! Scarlet Nova Dragon was removed from play, but it returns to the field during the End Phase! My turn!" With that, their Speed Counters become 6. "Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity! Burning Soul!"

"But I now activate Wisel Guard's effect!" Placido interrupts. "Your monster's attack target switches to this card."

"Do you really think you dodged it? I knew you would use Wisel Guard's effect!" Jack smirks. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Burning Strike! When my monster gains its effect and attacks a monster in defense position, it deals piercing damage!"

"What? Piercing damage?" Placido questions.

"Scarlet Nova Dragon has 5500 attack points and Wisel Guard has 1200 defense points." Ruka's fingers twitch. "That means he deals 4300 points of piercing damage! Jack will win!"

"Go, Scarlet Nova Dragon! Burning Soul!" Jack shouts with the usual dramatics.

"That's not good enough!" Placido interjects, making everyone in the pit lean forward towards the monitors. "I activate the trap, Wise G3. By sending Wisel Guard on my field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Wisel Guard 3 from my hand(DEF:2000). Due to its effect, the attack target switches to Wisel Guard 3. And this card can't be destroyed in battle once per turn!"

"But you still take the piercing damage!" Jack declares as Placido's life points drop to 500. I look over to Team New World's pit, they seem unhappy despite Placido surviving. He must be going off strategy.

"He was so close to winning!" Rua groans.

"The Continuous Trap, Infinite Aura, activates." Placido interrupts. "For every 100 points of damage, it gains one Aura Counter(CNTR:40-75). Then, I activate the trap, Echo Mirror! When a monster in defense position isn't destroyed in battle, I draw one card from my deck. If I draw a monster card, you take 300 points of damage per Level! I drew the Level 3 Monster, Wisel Attack 3! You take 900 points of damage!" Jack's life points drop down to 1100.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Jack's mouth forms a hard line.

"What a fierce battle!" The MC says as they drive past the pits for another lap. "Neither side is giving an inch!"

"But 500 life points is more than enough to defeat him! Fine, I'll follow the plan. My turn!" Placido declares. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"What? You're ending your turn?" Jack exclaims.

"Whoa! Placido ends his turn after only setting two cards!" The crowd descends into something of a frenzy.

"What's going on?" Crow asks.

"He didn't attack." Crow and Aki look at each other, confused.

"What's wrong, Jack Atlas? There's no need to show mercy. Attack me!" Placido spreads out his arms. Yusei's arms tighten around me.

"That card…" He mutters. "Infinite Aura, could it be?" He stands fully upright. "Rua, get the pit board!" Rua scurries off for the board, giving it Yusei who puts in the message. He runs off to flash it for Jack.

"My turn!" Jack declares. "I set one card. I activate the trap, Synchro Sonic! For every Synchro Monster on my field, I destroy one face up card in your Spell and Trap Card Zone. I destroy Infinite Aura!" Yusei relaxes a little, though he's not hugging me from behind anymore, which makes me a little sad admittedly.

"I won't let you do that!" Placido interrupts. I hear Yusei sigh. "I activate the trap, Infinity Guard Formation. By negating my monster's effect this turn, it prevents my card from being destroyed!" Everyone in the pit seems unsettled that Placido would separate his Machine Emperor to protect that card.

"That card is definitely their secret plan! But I'll eliminate you first!" Jack proclaims. "When your Machine Emperor separates, it's just a regular monster with 0 attack points! Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity! Burning Soul!" With that, Placido's life points drop to 0.

"The Continuous Trap, Infinite Aura's effect activates!" Placido gets one last effect in before he returns to the pit. "For every 100 points of damage, it gains an Aura Counter(CNTR:75-80). Then, I activate the Continuous Trap, Infinite Prison's effect. By discarding one card from my hand, I treat one monster card in my graveyard as a spell card and set it."

"He did it!" The MC roars. "After Luciano, Jack Atlas defeated Placido!" The crowd cheers for Jack. Bruno starts looking up that card, so Yusei walks over to that monitor. Aki laughs at my pout.

"What's so special about that card?" Yusei mutters, resting a hand on the desk.

"It's the finale of the first ever WRGP!" The MC roars as Jack passes the pit again. "The baton is passed to Jose, Team New World's last Wheeler!" Placido drives in. Jose stands, throwing off his cloak, revealing a futuristic looking riding suit. His D-Wheel is nowhere to be seen, so he starts running. "What's going on? The last Wheeler, Jose, is running on his own!"

"What is he doing?" Crow squints as the old man starts running on the actual track past us. "Isn't he going to ride a D-Wheel?" His D-Wheel bursts onto the track, coming up behind him. It catches up to him and Jose keeps running beside it.

"Team 5D's, prepare yourselves. The real battle begins now! I'll show you our power!" Jose jumps up into the air. His robotic legs pull away from his torso, flipping backwards. He attaches himself to his D-Wheel and his duel disk appears.

"He combined…" Aki mutters, turning to me in confusion.

"The D-Wheeler combined with his D-Wheel! This is the D-Wheel's final form! The duelist is betting his soul on Team New World's victory!" The MC shouts as if this is a regular Tuesday. I get my backpack from underneath the desk. I pull my bottle out of it and take a huge gulp.

"Yuuka." Yusei turns to me. "That's not water."

"I know." I say. "Like I'm gonna need this if I'm to deal with this shit."

"Yuuka?" Aki stares at the clear bottle.

"Vodka?" I offer the bottle to her. "I would offer to you, Crow, but you're gonna be driving."

"You promised you'd stop drinking during the day." Yusei shake his head.

"Either we win or we die, I'm gonna be celebrating either way. That's my excuse." Yusei keeps staring at me so I put the bottle, rolling my eyes.

"Here I go, Jack Atlas! I'll bury you first!" Jose proclaims, dragging the attention away from me.

"Go ahead and try!" He scoffs in response. "Jack Atlas won't lose against you!"

"Duel!" They chant, starting the next phase. The infinity symbol glows around them.

"What? We'll be taking real damage now!" The panic is evident in Jack's voice.

"My turn!" Jose declares, bringing their Speed Counters to 9. "I summon Grand Core in defense position(DEF:0)! Then, I activate the trap, Explosive Blast! I can destroy up to three Machine-Type monsters on my field that haven't battled this turn. For every monster destroyed by this effect, you take 400 points of damage!" Jack's left with 700 life points, he's below the safety line now. "Then, I activate Grand Core's effect! When a card effect destroys this card, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Granel Infinity(ATK:0), Granel Top(ATK:500), Granel Attack(ATK:1300), Granel Guard(DEF:1000) and Granel Carrier(ATK:700) from my deck or hand! Combine, Machine Emperor Granel Infinity!"

"Team New World summoned their third Machine Emperor!" My head starts spinning as the yellow Machine Emperor combines. Yusei's over to me within a second, putting his hand on my arm. A scream and the crackling of fire echoes in my mind. I look around me, that was definitely in mind. I must be imagining things. Yusei looks at me with raised eyebrows, I just shake my head.

"I activate Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's effect! Its attack and defense points become the same as my life points(ATK:0-4000)." Jose continues.

"4000 attack points! But Scarlet Nova Dragon has 5500 attack points! Those attack points can't stop my Burning Soul!" Jack scoffs.

"You're very confident in your attack points. I'll start by breaking your confidence. I activate Speed Spell - Takeover." Jose accelerates towards Jack in front of him. Jack has to swerve to avoid him. Jose does a uturn, looming over Jack as he speaks. "When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, I can destroy Infinite Aura to gain life points equal to the number of Counters multiplied by 100. Infinite Aura has 80 Counters. Therefore, I regain 100 times that for 8000 points." Jose's life points shoot up to 12000. "I have 12000 life points! Due to Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's effect, its attack and defense points become the same as my life points(ATK:4000-12000)!"

"12000 attack points!" Jack exclaims.

"I see!" Yusei puts a hand to his mouth. "Their goal was to gather Counters on Infinite Aura and use them to gain life points, attack and defense points!"

"That means…" Ruka turns to Yusei. "The other two lost on purpose?" That would make the most sense. I just don't know what to think anymore. That scream was familiar, I can't quite place it. I've heard it before in a dream. When Diablo appeared and attacked the City, I heard it. I remember. But why?

"The final chapter in completing the Circuit begins!" Jose sets a card. "Witness our power! Machine Emperor Granel Infinity attacks Scarlet Nova Dragon!"

"Scarlet Nova Dragon's effect activates!" Jack declares. "Scarlet Nova Dragon is removed from play until the End Phase, and you can't attack!"

"I won't let it escape!" Jose proclaims. "Granel Top's effect activates! When Granel attacks, your Synchro Monster's effect is negated."

"What? Negate a monster's effect?" Fear flashes on Jack's face.

"Grand Slaughter Cannon!" A searing pain spreads in my chest. I hunch forward but Yusei's arms keep me from falling. My body shakes violently as the screams play in my mind. Jack's screams are blocked out by the noise of the attack.

"Jack!" I hear people shout. The attack ends and the pain fades.

"Yuuka, do you want to go to the infirmary?" Aki asks, rubbing her hand on my back.

"No." I choke out. "I don't want to miss this." It's the finals, I refuse to leave. Aki sighs, looking at Yusei. Aki's hand retracts but Yusei keeps his arms around me. He digs his face into my shoulder. My shaking stops.

"I love you." He mutters. I pat his arm. I know he's constantly worried about me nowadays, but there's only so much he can do. As much as he would want to hide me from everything that could hurt me, he can't.

"I love you too." I whisper, my voice feeling a little hoarse.

"Then, Granel Attack's effect activates! It absorbs the Synchro Monster that was destroyed in battle! Machine Emperor Granel Infinity gains attack points equal to the absorbed Synchro Monster's original attack points(ATK:12000-15500)!" Jose laughs, not too dissimilar from Luciano's. "No monster can oppose it! Victory is ours! The world will be reborn!"

"15500 attack points…" Crow mutters. "You must be kidding."

"There's no way we can defeat that monster!" Rua cries. Jack manages to make it back into the pit, somehow. He's barely conscious. Yusei doesn't let me walk over to him. He keeps his arms around me. He's a lot quieter than usual. Something's wrong with him.

"What's wrong, honey?" I pat his head, playing with his hair a little.

"I'm just scared for you." He mutters, digging his head further into my shoulder. "First, you fainted after coughing up blood. Then, you disappear for a week after I lose you in a wormhole. I'm just worried that any moment I could lose you forever." His arms tighten around me.

"You won't lose me." I comfort him, despite the chance he might actually. As much as it hurt me to leave him, there's a chance that it's the only thing I can do to save him. Saving him is my top priority. I would give my life for him, and I think he knows that.

"Team New World's Jose and Machine Emperor Granel Infinity return to the home stretch!" The MC announces. "Team 5D's passed the baton to Crow, the second Wheeler! We're worried about the status of the first Wheeler, Jack Atlas, but the race continues!"

"Wait, you freak! I'm your next opponent!" Crow calls out to Jose.

"I applaud you for still showing up after witnessing Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's power. Face my Granel with all your power! Show me what a human can do!" Jose taunts him.

"Duel!" The infinity appears around them again. I sigh. It's only going to get worse from here.

"Here I go! My turn!" Crow declares as their Speed Counters reach 10. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 10 Speed Counters, I destroy one card on the field!" Crow's Speed Counter shoot back down to 0.

"Crow already used 10 Speed Counters!" Bruno exclaims.

"It's fine. You can't play around with an opponent like him." Yusei sighs, holding me tighter.

"I destroy Machine Emperor Granel Infinity!" Crow points at the source of my current pain and suffering.

"I activate the trap, Infinity Wall!" Jose interrupts. "Destruction from a card effect is negated this turn! Did you really think I wouldn't have countermeasures against Speed World 2?"

"So this level of strategy doesn't work against you." Crow sighs. "In that case, I summon the Tuner Monster, Black Feather - Stream the Cloaked(ATK:800)! When a Black Feather is on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! I Special Summon Black Feather - Bora the Spear(ATK:1700)!"

"He has a Tuner and another monster!" Rua points out. "He can now Synchro Summon, but…"

"It's pointless to Synchro Summon when you're facing a Machine Emperor." Jose laughs as if Crow hasn't prepared for this.

"Do you seriously think that Crow the Trickster would use such a simple strategy?" Crow brags. "I remove Steam the Cloaked and Bora the Spear from play to Special Summon Black Feather - Aurora the Northern Lights(ATK:0)! I can Special Summon it by removing a Black Feather and a Black Feather Tuner from play. This card's Level is equal to the total Level of the monsters that were removed from play(LV:10-7). Next, Steam the Cloaked's effect activates! When this card leaves the field, I can Special Summon one Steam Token(ATK:100)! But this Token is destroyed at the End Phase. Once per turn, by removing from play a Black Feather Synchro Monster in my Extra Deck with the same Level as Aurora the Northern Lights, it gains its attack points and effects until my next turn! Aurora the Northern Lights is Level 7, so I remove Black Feather Armored Wing in my Extra Deck from play! So Aurora the Northern Lights has 2500 attack points, which is the same as Armored Wing(ATK:0-2500)!" The monster becomes wrapped in a multicoloured light shaped like Armored Wing. "And since this card gains Armored Wing's effects, it won't be destroyed in battle and it takes 0 battle damage!"

"I see!" Bruno exclaims. "Since Aurora the Northern Lights isn't a Synchro Monster, e can use Synchro Monsters' effects while avoiding Machine Emperor's Synchro sealing. This is Crow's anti-Machine Emperor strategy."

"Battle!" Crow declares. "Aurora the Northern Lights attacks Machine Emperor Granel Infinity!"

"No matter what your strategy, you can never have more attack points than Machine Emperor Granel Infinity." Jose says. "Your actions are pointless."

"No, it's not!" Crow shouts back. "Aurora the Northern Lights has another one of Armored Wing's effects! When this card attacks your monster, your monster gets a Wedge Counter. By removing the Wedge Counter, your monster's attack and defense points become 0 until that turn's End Phase! And when your monster's attack points become 0, Steam Token removes that monster from play! It doesn't matter how many attack points your Machine Emperor has! I created this special strategy to stop Synchro killers! Take it!" If this succeeds, victory will be close.

"Your special strategy is weak. I said it was pointless. I activate Granel Guard's effect!" Jose declares as Scarlet Nova Dragon is spewed out from Granel's chest cavity, still wrapped in tendrils. "Granel Guard switches the attack target to a Synchro Monster that's equipped on my Machine Emperor."

"What?" Crow mutters.

"No way!" Rua cries. "Jack's Scarlet Nova Dragon… It became Crow's enemy."

"But due to Armored Wing's effect, Aurora the Northern Lights isn't destroyed, and he doesn't take any battle damage." Yusei explains. At least there's a bright side here.

"You stuck a wedge into Scarlet Nova Dragon, which is an Equip Card. Therefore, you can't put a Wedge Counter on it!" Jose says as Scarlet Nova Dragon is pulled back into Granel. "What's wrong? Are you done?" Granel is terrifying, not just because of its effects. It inspires this fear in me. I feel my flight instinct kicking in, but I can do nothing.

"I set two cards and end my turn." Crow grits his teeth, after a pause.

"That's the best you could do? Your time is done. My turn!" Jose declares. "I activate Speed World 2's effect. I remove 10 Speed Counters to destroy one card on the field." This evens their Speed Counters, leaving them both at 1. "I destroy Black Feather - Aurora the Northern Lights! Then, Machine Emperor Granel Infinity attacks you directly! Leave the stage!"

"Whoa! If this succeeds, Crow will have 0 life points!" The MC roars.

"Grand Slaughter Cannon!" The pain returns but it's not as sharp as the first time. My eyes close. Yusei pulls me closer.

"Whoa! Ghibli the Searing Wing is in defense position and blocks Granel's attack!" The MC's word make me open my eyes.

"When your monster attacks me directly, I can Special Summon it from my hand(DEF:1600)!" Crow explains as the smoke clears.

"How annoying." Jose tuts as Ghibli is destroyed.

"He managed to stop it." Aki sighs in relief.

"Sorry Ghibli, but I won't let your sacrifice go to waste! I flip over my trap card!" Crow declares. "Black Revenge! When my Winged-Beast Type monster with 1000-or-fewer attack points is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon two Black Feather - Black Crest Tokens(DEF:800/DEF:800)! Then, I flip over my trap card, Blackboost! When there are two or more Black Feathers on my field, I draw two cards from my deck!"

"Crow survived using consecutive miraculous combos!" The MC roars as the crowd cheers.

"How's that? You haven't beaten me yet!" Crow smirks.

"My attack isn't over. By summoning a monster in defense position, you've tightened the noose around your neck!" Jose laughs as Crow's face falls. "I activate Granel Attack's effect!" Scarlet Nova Dragon is spewed from Granel's chest again. "Once per turn, the monster that Granel absorbed can attack your monster!"

"Granel can attack with the monsters it absorbed?" Crow echoes, crestfallen.

"Go! Battle your teammate, you foolish Synchro Monster!" Jose stretches his arm out. "The equipped monster also deals piercing damage equal to its attack points minus your defense points! Take your teammate's power and feel the pain!" Crow screams as his life points fall to 1300. "The Synchro Monster that Machine Emperor Granel Infinity absorbed can't attack directly. You wouldn't have taken damage if you didn't summon a monster in defense position. I set one card and end my turn!"

"Crow is in big trouble! Is there anything he can do against the overwhelming power of Machine Emperor Granel Infinity?" The MC questions as I exhale a shaky breath.

"Isn't there anything he can do?" Rua asks.

"The remaining Black Crest Token has only 800 defense points." Ruka explains. "If he takes another attack from Scarlet Nova Dragon, he'll take 2700 points of piercing damage and he'll have 0 life points."

"What's wrong? Are you done?" Jose taunts Crow.

"My turn!" Crow declares as their Speed Counters climb to 2. "I tribute Black Crest Token to Advance Summon Black Feather - Hillen the Tengu-wind in defense position(DEF:2300)! Now even if I take Scarlet Nova Dragon's attack, I'll still have 100 life points left."

"But if you don't have a strategy after that, you'll take Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's attack!" Jose answers. Crow stays silent for a moment.

"I set two cards and end my turn!" Crow grits his teeth again.

"So that's the best a human can do." Jose scoffs. "My turn! I activate Granel Attack's effect!" Scarlet Nova Dragon appears once again. "Foolish Scarlet Nova Dragon, attack Hillen the Tengu-wind!" Crow's life points fall to 100 as expected.

"Crow only has 100 life points left! He's pushed to the brink!" The MC says as Crow starts shaking on his D-Wheel.

"Is this the end? Use your trump card and Synchro Summon!" Jose tries to taunt him.

"You can't provoke me." Crow answers, completely straight for once in his life. "If I summon it, your Machine Emperor will destroy it and steal my Synchro Monster and use it to attack Yusei. I have to avoid that!"

"Why do you have to avoid it?" Jose questions. "Friends who fight and hurt each other is the very nature of humanity's foolishness. Look at this repulsive figure. Synchro Monsters symbolise the evolution of humanity's foolishness!"

"Whatever!" Crow scoffs. "Scarlet Nova Dragon is Jack's soul! We always fought alongside Synchro Monsters! Don't you dare badmouth them!"

"You still haven't realised that those ideas lead to destruction! I have nothing more to say because you're going to perish! Battle! Granel attacks you directly! Take Machine Emperor's attack and vanish! Grand Slaughter Cannon!" My head hangs as I try to suppress the fire in my chest. Why does this attack hurt me more than the rest?

"It's over!" The MC says so loudly over the mic that it hurts my ears. "The second Wheeler, Crow, has 0 life points! Team 5D's only has Yusei Fudo left as the last Wheeler!"

"It's over." Jose stops to look at the billowing smoke where Crow once was.

"Not yet!" Crow shouts as the smoke fades. "The Battle Phase hasn't ended yet."

"Crow!" Aki exclaims, standing up and pressing her hands onto the desk. Crow starts driving and Jose follows.

"I activate Hillen the Tengu-wind's effect from the graveyard." Crow's words are forced. He won't last much longer. "When I take a direct attack that deals 2000 or more points of damage, I can Special Summon this card and a Level 3-or-lower Black Feather from my graveyard. Resurrect, Hillen the Tengu-wind and Ghibli the Searing Wind(ATK:0/ATK:0)! Then, I activate the trap, Urgent Tuning! This card activates during the Battle Phase and Synchro Summons one Synchro Monster! Level 5 Hillen the Tengu-wind tunes Level 3 Ghibli the Searing Wind! Darkened gales, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Black Feather Dragon(DEF:1600)!"

"Whoa! The Machine Emperor appeared to have annihilated Crow, but he mustered up his final strength to summon his ace, Black Feather Dragon!"

"Why?" Rua questions. "If he activated Hillen the Tengu-wind's effect during the direct attack, he could've used this combo to stop Granel's attack! Why would he activate it after he took damage?"

"Crow wanted to leave Black Feather Dragon for Yusei, so he took Granel's attack." Aki explains. "That was Crow's goal." Tears come to Rua's eyes as he mutters his name.

"You sacrificed yourself to summon a Synchro Monster?" Jose squints.

"That's right. I lost in order for my team to win." Crow smiles, but it seems like a struggle. "ou said that friends fight each other, but that's not the only side to humanity. We can also fight together by passing on my emotions to my friends. It's called a bond. It was a bit rough this time. Yusei, I leave the rest to you."

"I promise to win." Yusei mutters into my shoulder, pulling me tighter.

"Good luck, honey." I turn in the seat as he stands upright.

"Thank you." He presses a kiss to my lips before hugging me properly. "If something goes wrong, promise me you'll go to the infirmary."

"Nothing will go wrong." I say as I play with his hair again. I can't see his face but I know what exactly what his expression is. "Okay, I will." He pulls back, I go to stand up to walk him to the pit.

"Stay here." He presses another kiss to the top of my head. "I don't think you could walk."

"Okay, honey. I love you."

"I love you too." He says before walking off to the changing point with Aki and Bruno. Rua and Ruka run with Crow to the infirmary, leaving me on my own. I sigh. The promise that this will all go away if we win just seems more and more unlikely. Z-One doesn't get the impression that his plans would end because we defeated his minions. I know Z-One. I know that is a certainty.


	72. Ancient Mystery

"The baton has passed!" I take a deep breath as Yusei leaves the pit. "Both teams are down to their last Wheeler! It's a one-on-one fight between Yusei Fudo and Jose! It's the climax of the WRGP Finals!" I feel very bare without Yusei's arms around me. I had gotten use to the protective warmth.

"I don't know why Crow left you a Synchro Monster. Since Machine Emperor Granel Infinity can absorb your Synchro Monster, it onlys serves as a parting gift before you go to hell." Jose speaks, I grab onto Aki's arm. She looks down at my hand and back up at me. She puts her arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

"Duel!"

"My turn!" Yusei declares as their Speed Counters climb to 4. "I summon Wave Wall in defense position(DEF:2000)! I set two cards and end my turn! Crow, I promise to get to that card!"

"My turn!" Jose says. "Machine Emperor Granel Infinity attacks Black Feather Dragon with its 15500 attack points. My hands shake. If Yusei takes the piercing damage, he will lose.

"I activate Wave Wall's effect!" I sigh in relief as Yusei interrupts him. "For every Synchro Monster on my field, your monster's attack is negated once!"

"Nice!" Aki exclaims. She turns to smile at me. I can't quite manage a smile right now, which makes her eyebrows furrow. "As long as he has the Synchro Monster, Black Feather Dragon, he can avoid Granel's attack. Machine Emperor is one monster made up of five monsters, so Granel can only attack once."

"I activate the trap, Attack Cannon!" Jose proclaims. "When a Machine Emperor fails to destroy your monster in battle, I can send Granel Attack on my field to graveyard to destroy one of your monsters. Fire! Annihilate Black Feather Dragon!"

"Black Feather Dragon! Crow, I will fulfill your wishes! I flip over my trap card, Shadow Impulse!" Yusei activates the trap that Crow left him. "When my Synchro Monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Synchro Monster with the same Level and Type by making its attack points become 0 and negating its effects! Appear, Stardust Dragon(ATK:0)!"

"Avoiding Machine Emperor's attack once isn't a cause for celebration!" Jose clenches his fist. "Your bond can't defeat Granel, similar to how a bunch of ants can't defeat an elephant!"

"What?" Yusei squints, turning to look at him.

"An elephant doesn't know there are ants beneath its feet." Jose explains. "It stomps them and keeps waiting. Similar to how history doesn't care about humans, all your efforts are worthless! My left arm resurrects with even more power! Granel Attack 3(ATK:1800)!"

"Machine Emperor is whole again!" Yusei exclaims.

"When I have 4 or more Speed Counters, I can activate Speed Spell - Silent Burn from my hand. For every monster that didn't attack this turn, you take 300 points of damage!" Jose declares. "Four parts didn't attack, so you take 1200 points of damage! The elephant's foot known as the future will stomp you!" I flinch as Yusei screams when the purple beam hits him. His life points fall to 2800. "If you were willing to be crushed instantly, you could've avoided pain and anguish. I set one card and end my turn!"

"I won't give up! Since you're trying to rewrite history, I'll keep fighting you!" Yusei declares, pumping his fist.

"You fool. You're so childish. I'll teach you the history of mankind's foolishness." As Jose speaks, a green infinity sign appears in the sky. The Signer Marks start glowing.

"What's this?" Aki stares at her mark. I close my eyes since the bright light coming from the mark hurts my eyes. When I open my eyes, we're floating in a black sky. Light pink clouds stand still around us. There's not even a breeze.

"Where are we?" Yusei asks, having suddenly appeared beside me. I take a cautious look down at the bright red ground beneath us. I reach for Yusei by instinct. He holds onto me as I try to avoid looking down. I've never done well with heights since falling into the Old Momentum.

"I'm going to fall! Help me!" I hear Rua scream.

"We're floating?" I hear Ruka question.

"What happened to us?" Crow asks.

"I saw this before inside the wormhole." Yusei mutters before gasps. I look at his face to see him staring below us. "What's this?"

"It's like a graveyard." Jack points out as I notice the stone tablets in the ground. I feel my heart pounding in my chest. I tear my eyes away from the sight forcefully.

"Look!" Aki gestures to what remains of the centerpiece of Neo Domino's bridges. The jewel on top is chipped and dirty. The image inspires more sadness than it should. I don't know why, but I'm filled with rage too.

"This place is…"

"That's right." A vision of the three emperors appears in the sky. "For us, it's the real world. For you, it's the future Neo Domino City." Jose speaks directly to us.

"This is our future?" Yusei asks.

"It all started with Synchro Summons." As Jose explains, the world around us changes into a modern Neo Domino City. The roads are filled with duelists. All that we can hear are the words  _Synchro Summon_. "People's excitement towards dueling further evolved the world. Synchro Summons were the symbol of prosperity. When you Synchro Summon, the D-Wheel creates waves that are linked to Moment. It resonated with Moment, which caused it to spin faster and speed up the evolution of the world. But it was too fast." The sky begins to turn grey. Luciano screams as thousands of Machine Emperors descend onto the City from the clouds.

"That's!" I go to speak but I'm cut off by the Machine Emperors beginning to attack. I feel horribly numb, like my body could fall away in an instant. It's a change from the searing pain. This is a vision, I remind myself.

"It's war…" Yusei mutters.

"Look." Rua points down to an empty street. A family runs through the streets, with the mother dragging a little boy behind her. "Luciano?" He turns to the vision of him in the sky.

"These are my memories of my era." Luciano closes his eyes as a Granel attacks. The boy kneels at the edge of the newly formed crater and screams. Another explosions rumbles.

"These are memories of my era." Placido says as the scenery changes around us. More fighting is going on. The other Placido turns to a girl and smiles, hiding from the Granel roaming the streets. They shoot at the Machine Emperor. However, it shoots back, causing half of the building to collapse. The other Placido lets out a bloodcurdling scream as he finds part of the girl's weapon.

"The desires of foolish humans had reached its peak." Jose tell us. "That's when Moment suddenly began to rotate backwards. As though it was responding to the people's hearts, Moment went out of control. Moments around the world simultaneously exploded and destroyed the world."

"You're lying! I don't believe Moment went out of control again!" Yusei shouts back. No. It never went out of control in the first place. I look over the City. This isn't our City. Similar, but not the one we call home. There's no Satellite, it couldn't possibly be.

"It's the truth." Jose sighs. "It was the fault of foolish humans, including ourselves. These are the memories of my era." The vision of the City ages as the other Jose wanders it alone. "Destiny chose me for some reason, and I walked the world alone. But there was no one who would answer my calls." The vision changes from the City to other places, deserts, snow, the entire world over. He returns to the City, looking at the remains of the bridge. "I despaired as I saw the end of humanity and history."

"This is our future…" Yusei mutters. Everyone else disappears, leaving me alone in the vision. I look around me. The other Yuuka appears a good distance away from me.

"You're not trying enough." She says. "Do you want Yusei to die? Is this the future you want?"

"Of course not!" I shout back.

"Then, do something!" She sneers. "If you continue as you are now, Yusei is going to die. I hope you know that."

"What do you want me to do?" I scream back. She goes to open her mouth but nothing comes out. The vision around me fades away.

"This is our power to open the future! Synchro Summoning and Accel Synchro destroyed your plans and phony future!" I hear Yusei's voice. I open my eyes slowly to find myself back in the pit.

"Oh really?" Jose asks. "I think you're approaching your destiny. Thanks to you, my field is a burnt field. But don't worry. We... I mean- Aporia will fix destiny!"

"Aporia?" Yusei echoes. That name… I've heard it before.

"Now is the time for three souls born from despair to become one!" An infinity symbols glows in the reddened sky. Jose detaches from his D-Wheel, flying up into the air. There's a bright light that engulfs Jose, Placido and Luciano. It fades away to reveal a single person. I see similarities to all three of them.

"What's happening?" Yusei shouts.

"My name is Aporia." He answers. Two more D-Wheels race up to Jose's D-Wheel. In another bright light, the three of them combine into a D-Wheel with three dragon heads. Aporia's limb stretch out. Wires burst forth from the D-Wheel, connecting to him. He joins to the D-Wheel, the centre head raising up to become a duel disk.

"What?" Yusei mutters. "Who or what are you?"

"My name is Aporia, the guardian of despair." He states with a definite tone. My head suddenly feels light again. "We three were formally one. This is my true form. Yusei Fudo, you truly are a great duelist. You destroyed the Machine Emperors, just as I wanted. Now the circuit is closer to completion."

"What are you talking about?" Yusei's voice raises.

"My turn!" Aporia ignores the question completely. "Due to the Continuous Trap, Infinite Prison's effect, I discard one card to take Grand Core from my graveyard and set it in my Spell & Trap Card Zone. I activate Infinite Prison's second effect. By sending it to the graveyard, cards set by Infinite Prison's effect return to my hand. The three despairs call forth the newest and mightiest power. I activate my trap, Machine Emperor Creation. I send Sky Core, Wise Core and Grand Core from my hand to the graveyard. I Special Summon Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity(ATK:4000)!"

"Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity?" Yusei echoes as the final Machine Emperor appears. My vision starts blurring at the edges. It shoots a beam of light up at the sky causing thunder to rain down. Aporia laughs as the Signer Marks begin glowing again. I hear the familiar screams again. My vision completely blacks out. I put my hand up to my face. I feel something wet, my nose is bleeding again. Aki's grip on me tightens.

"Yuuka!" A voice says.

* * *

"Listen to me!" The other Yuuka shouts at me. "You need to do something. We can't let Yusei die."

"What do you want me to do?" I ask, facing her in the dark abyss around us. "How is he going to die?"

"I don't know." She sighs.

"About what?"

"Everything!" She pulls at her hair. I notice something resembling burn marks peeping out of her black turtleneck. "I'm only going off what I've learned. I'm telling you everything I know. Two things will happen. Either the Ark Cradle falls and he dies, or Yusei stops the Ark Cradle, dying in the process."

"What do you want me to do?" I repeat, not getting my answer.

"Stop the Ark Cradle falling and keep Yusei from dying. If you have to die, so be it."

"You're so willing to sacrifice me." I say, her face twists.

"I know what you're like. You'd prepared yourself for that, don't lie to me."

"You're not wrong." I shrug my shoulders.

"Please." She pleads. "Save him."

"This is the door to despair." Aporia's voice booms in the darkness. "Yusei Fudo, you'll experience the same despair that I did. In order to fight against despair, I divided myself into three and came to this era. I'll tell you why I separated myself into Jose, Luciano and Placido and became the three Yliaster emperors." The dark abyss fades away into the graveyard far below my feet. Everyone else appears. The other Yuuka has vanished.

"What's that dome?" Yusei points down to something that resembles a stadium. We instantly get teleported back on top of the ruins of the other Neo Domino.

"Someone's there." Ruka points down at the City.

"Jose? No, it's Aporia." Yusei says as we watch the older Aporia fall to his knees and scream.

"After witnessing the end of mankind and history, I trembled in despair as the only survivor." The real Aporia explains. Three men in white robes walk towards him. "However, I wasn't the only survivor."

"We are the last survivors of this world. As survivors, we must carry out our mission." One of the men, who I assume is Z-One, stretches out a mechanical arm to the older Aporia.

"Moment's negative power destroyed the world, so our mission was to bring back hope for the future." The scenery changes to the men around a table. "The four of us used our remaining strength to find a way to resurrect mankind and this destroyed world. But all our effort was in vain." Suddenly, the other two men go into a capsule. Z-One is in the comma-shaped machine. "We spent endless hours, and two of us passed away." The capsules disappear, replaced by Aporia's body in one.

"Aporia…" Z-One mutters, his mask distorting his voice.

"There's no future here." The older Aporia coughs.

"You're going to leave me by myself?" Something hits me  _hard_  with that line. There's a sadness bubbling up inside me. I shouldn't be feeling this. Z-One is trying to destroy the City, and I'm feeling  _sorry_  for him?

"Listen to me, Z-One." The old Aporia turns with his head with the last of his energy. "My heart is made of three despairs. Despair for losing people who loved me. Despair for losing someone to love. Despair for not needing love. Z-One, use this power to split my heart into three despairs and use them as your minions. You must regain hope for the future."

"I promise, Aporia." Z-One says as the older Aporia closes his eyes one last time. The scenery around me disappears, everyone disappears except for Z-One.

"Luciano, Placido and Jose resurrected as three despairs and created Yliaster." I heard Aporia's voice echo in the empty space. "I'll fulfill the final promise I made with my friends and stop the future from being destroyed! To do that, I must erase Neo Domino City from the historical timeline." Timeline? What an odd word to use. Is he implying there's more than one timeline? "Our plan is to destroy the beginning of Moment and save the future. When Team New World wins, Neo Domino City will be destroyed. And the future will change! We have once again become one. Since the three despairs are now one, you cannot defeat my overwhelming power. Witness the power of hate created from despair!"

"What are you doing here?" Z-One turns to face me. Everything around us returning to that vast white space. His aura hits me all of a sudden, as if he wasn't really there before. There's something that's becoming more and more familiar about his aura.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You're just a ghost. You don't belong here."

"A ghost?" I echo. "What are you talking about?"

"Was I wrong then?" He floats closer to me. I notice the small details of him. His mask. That design, it almost looks like… "I suppose we will find out when you board the Ark Cradle. I'm sure  _he_  will uncover the truth."

"He?" I ask.

"That's for you to find out, Yuuka Hattori." The white around me fades into black. Z-One vanishes all of a sudden.

"No, wait!" I cry out.

"Shut up for once in your life, will you?" I turn around to find the other Yuuka in the darkness. "We have more important business to deal with."

"What was that?" I point behind me as if Z-One is still there.

"Not important."

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"Not now." She sighs. "Okay, we need to be prepared for when the Ark Cradle begins to fall."

"When?" I squint at her. "Not if?"

"That's my guess. Z-One is very persistent. If he starts something, he will end it. That's who he is."

"You know him?"

"Not important."

"What is important then?" I grit my teeth, tired of her games.

"Saving Yusei, that's why you're here. Geez!" She throws up her arms in a fit of frustration.

"You said that if Yusei steps foot on the Ark Cradle, he will die." She nods. "What if I can't stop him? He's not easily swayed."

"Then you go with him, if he tries to go into a dangerous situation, you stop him." She fiddles with her fingernails. "You have your powers, use them." She waves her hand. My aura quivers, before I fall to the floor. "Like that."

"Seems too easy." I say. "It's not going to be that easy."

"I know, that's why I'm worried." The other Yuuka exhales sharply. "I'm hoping that Crimson Dragon helps you."

"The Crimson Dragon only helps the Signers." I stare at the darkness above me. There was once, I correct myself. After I came back from the wormhole, the Crimson Dragon brought the Signers to where I appeared. Why?

"Who knows?" She answers my thoughts. Maybe I've been talking out loud the whole time, who knows? "Not me."

"What's the deal? With all of this?" I ask, hoping for a definite answer.

"You will learn, I promise. Knowing now is only going to make things worse." She sighs. I look up to see a melancholy expression on her face. She catches me staring and she goes back to the usual unreadable expression. "This may be the last time I can talk to you before it happens. Good luck." She says. "You'll need it."

"That's right. I still have hope." I open my eyes at the sound of Yusei's voice. I'm back in the stadium. Everyone is staring intently at the monitors. I do the same. "This draw is the final hope. Cards, hear my voice! My...turn!" Yusei shouts. "It's here! I activate the Continuous Trap, Hardship's effect. By sending this card to the graveyard, the equipped monster is destroyed(ATK:10300-4000)!" Shooting Star Dragon is destroyed due to Hardship being equipped to it. "Then, all Equip Cards on the field are destroyed!"

"But you have no monsters on your field. That means you can't defeat Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity!" Aporia scoffs. I notice Jack and Crow riding alongside Yusei.

"The battle is only beginning!" Yusei answers. "I summon Mystic Piper from my hand(ATK:0)! I can release this card to draw one card. If I draw a monster, I can draw another card! I drew a monster card! Therefore, I get to draw another card! I have assembled hope in my hand! I activate the Continuous Trap, Ghoul Summoner! I Special Summon a Synchro Monster that was destroyed and sent to the graveyard this turn and equip it with this card. I Special Summon Black Feather Dragon(ATK:2800)!"

"Black Feather Dragon? Don't you understand that Synchro Monsters don't work against Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity?" Aporia sneers.

"Due to Continuous Trap, Ghoul Summoner's effect, I discard a card from my hand to Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard." Yusei explains. "But I take damage equal to the Synchro Monster's attack points. Appear, Red Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)!"

"You're going to take 3500 points of damage and destroy yourself?"

"Black Feather Dragon's effect!" Crow exclaims with a grin.

"When I take effect damage, I place on Black Feather Counter on Black Feather Dragon. Black Feather Dragon loses 700 attack points per Counter and negates the damage(ATK:2800-2100)!" Yusei smiles.

"Scarlet Nova Dragon gains 500 attack points for every Tuner in our graveyard." Jack explains. "Mono Synchron and Formula Synchron are in our graveyard. Therefore, it gains 1000 attack points(ATK:3500-4500)!"

"Then due to Ghoul Summoner's effect, I discard a card from my hand to Special Summon Shooting Star Dragon from my graveyard(ATK:3300)! Black Feather Dragon absorbs Shooting Star Dragon's effect damage by putting one Black Feather Counter on it(ATK:2100-1400)!"

"They're all together!" Crow cheers. Excuse you, Trishula's missing.

"It's our bond!" Jack pumps his fist.

"Is this the power of the Signers?" Aporia mutters.

"This is our hope! Here I go, Aporia!" Yusei proclaims. "No matter how much despair you give, our hopes will never vanish!"

"Alright!" Everyone in the pit cheers. Except for me, I'll still a little shaken from that vision. But I manage to smile. I know Yusei can't see me, but I hope my feelings get through to him.

"By removing all Black Feather Counters, your monster loses 700 attack points for each Counter. You also take damage equal to the decrease in attack points!" Yusei explains. "Black Feather Dragon has two Counters. Therefore, Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity loses 1400 attack points(ATK:4000-2600)! You also take the same amount as damage! Black Burst!" Aporia's life points also fall to 2600.

"Since Black Feather Dragon has no Black Feather Counters, it gains 1400 attack points(ATK:1400-2800)! Black Feather Dragon has more attack points than Mekanikle!" Crow grins.

"Black Feather Dragon, attack Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity!" Yusei declares. "Noble Stream!" Aporia's life points fall again, now to 2400.

"I activate Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity's effect." Aporia interrupts. "By removing a Machine Emperor part in my graveyard from play, Mekanikle isn't destroyed! I remove Granel Guard from play!"

"Yusei, finish him at once!" Jack shouts, to which Yusei nods.

"Go, Red Nova Dragon! Burning Soul!" This attack leaves Aporia with 500 life points. My hands grip the table, it's possible.

"I activate Machine Emperor Astro Mekanikle Infinity's effect!" Aporia repeats. "By removing Granel Attack in my graveyard from play, Mekanikle isn't destroyed!" Rua cheers. "Impossible... Am I going to lose?" He mutters.

"Aporia! Our hopes overcame your despair! This is the final attack! Go, Shooting Star Dragon! Stardust Mirage!" Shooting Star Dragon splits into five visions of itself, each going for a different part of the Machine Emperor. Fire spews from it as it disappears. Aporia's life points fall to 0.

"We've come this far only to fail?" I hear Aporia's voice say before another explosion cuts him off. His D-Wheel keeps flying with a plume of smoke trailing behind it. It plummets head first into the Sound. All that's left is a pillar of smoke and flames on top of the water. Yusei, Jack and Crow come to a stop.

"Yusei." I hear Crow say.

"We did it." Jack smiles.

"Yeah. We won!" The three of them share a fistbump as the sky clears back to a peaceful blue. It's then everything sets in.

"We won?" I mutter.

"It's over!" The MC roars over the speakers to an empty stadium. "The WRGP Finals had many unexpected twists and turns! What a historic battle! The first-ever champions that stand atop all D-Wheelers are... Team 5D's!"

"We did it!" We all scream, pumping our fists in the air.

"We won!" Rua starts tearing up.

"I can't believe it." I take a deep breath. I stand up and walk into the center of the track. The Ark Cradle has vanished from the sky. Maybe the other Yuuka was wrong. A smile comes to my face.

"It's the triumphant return of Jack Atlas, Crow Hogan and Yusei Fudo!" I look behind me to see the guys coming up the track. They stop just short of me. Yusei takes off his helmet, meeting my eyes. As soon as he disembarks his D-Wheel, I'm already on top of him, nearly knocking the both of us over.

"You did so good!" I manage to say between the kisses I'm pressing all over his face. "Well done honey! I'm so proud of you!"

"No! You stop that now." Jack groans. "We just won the WRGP and I don't need to see that shit."

"Well, my boyfriend just won it for the team, and he deserves it." I answer, Jack just roll his eyes and walks away.

"I deserve it, do I?" Yusei raises an eyebrow at me.

"You do, you're kind of amazing actually." I smirk. "I think you deserve more but y'know, this will do for now."

"What would that be?" I have to cover up my laugh at Yusei's attempt at flirting.

"The best goddamn cuddles of your life. I don't think you're ready for them." I put my hands on his chest, pulling at his jacket.

"I think I am." Yusei presses his lips to mine.

"Team 5D's." I hear Harald say. I pull away with a sour look on my face.

"Team Ragnarok." Yusei turns them as they walk towards us.

"You did it." Harald looks between Yusei, Jack and Crow.

"You're thanking us too?" Crow looks at Brave with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course." Brave grins. They share a fistbump. It's a shame that I didn't pay attention to their duel, in hindsight.

"Everyone, congratulations." Mizoguchi walks up to us. I raise my eyebrows. I wasn't expecting him to show up.

"Mizoguchi, you came back?" Yusei sounds just as surprised as I am.

"Yes." Mizoguchi puts his arm across his chest, and bows slightly.

"Thank you everyone." Yusei nods, looking around us.

"I'm getting the scoop on the victory celebration!" I hear the grin in Carly's voice as she moves around us.

"I still can't believe it." Yusei says.

"Neither can I." I answer. "Look." I point at the sky. "No Ark Cradle."

"You're right." His smile grows wider.

"I love you." I say. Despite how tired and bruised he looks, I still think he's the single most beautiful person ever.

"I love you too." He moves a small bit of my hair that had fallen down into my face. "Don't cry now."

"I'm not gonna cry." I say, blinking a little too fast.

"You're making that face. The one where you start crying if you look at me for too long." He is right, but I'm not going to tell him that.

"Shut up!" In order to get him to shut up, I pick Yusei up bridal style. Which grabs the attention of everyone around us.

"Yuuka, put me down!"

"Nope." I tease him with a grin. He sighs. I notice Carly moving to take a photo, so I smile for the camera. "Give me a kiss and I'll put you down." Yusei quickly pecks my lips, slightly embarrassed. "Okay now, I can put you down."

"Just how strong are you?" I hear Crow shout at me. I just shrug my shoulders at me. It's not like Yusei is heavy or anything. Or maybe I'm just too strong. One of those.

"Yliaster's plans are over." He sighs in relief, looking up at the sky. My head throbs again as everything around us starts shaking.

"What's happening?" I hear Jack shout. White cracks form in the sky. They spread out further and further. Suddenly, it gives away. My grip tightens on Yusei's arm. I feel my knuckles turning white. Shards of the blue sky give away to reveal a darker teal colour.

"The sky is shattering…" Aki mutters. Then, slowly something descends from the teal sky. No. This isn't happening. It can't be. It was gone.

"That's the Ark Cradle!" Yusei exclaims. I feel my legs starting to collapse beneath me, but Yusei keeps me from falling. There's only one thought running through my head.

_Should the Ark Cradle descend, Yusei Fudo will fall._


	73. Dear Old Friend

The Ark Cradle falls downwards further into our sky. It blocks the sun, casting a shadow over the entire City. The star shaped scar on my rib cage starts to burn. My body starts shaking violently. I feel my eyes burning, the corners of my vision tinted orange.

"Impossible! Since we won, the Ark Cradle shouldn't appear!" Various voices start shouting. "But it's actually here!" "It finally appeared."

"The Ark Cradle is mankind's final Moment that they brought from the future." Yusei mutters.

"Team 5D's!" Jaeger runs over to Yusei. "Go to the Public Maintenance Department immediately! Let's plan a strategy with the information we have!"

"Understood." I give the guys their normal clothes that I brought for them, in case their riding suits got damaged in the duel. My instinct was right. I change into my normal clothes too. I know that I'll need something more suitable for what's about to happen.

Everyone is flighty and panicking. Lots of whys and whats. I can't bring myself to speak. The image of Yusei's severed head in his helmet keeps flashing into my head. This could very well become my reality. That thought starts to sink in. No. My knuckles turn white as I grip my D-Wheel harder. I refuse to let it happen.

"The output is down to 30%!" Jaeger leads us into a control room. The workers start commenting on the Moment energy. "And it continues to fall!" "If this doesn't change, Moment will stop!"

"Check the system program! Also inspect all other systems!" Jaeger commands as the room plunges into darkness. I sigh, a blackout. That's not what we need.

"System down!" Someone shouts. "All systems in the facility have stopped!"

"Switch to auxiliary power!" Jaeger keeps barking commands. The power comes back on. We all just stare at the giant display in the room. Various bars indicating things I have no idea about. All I know is that bad stuff is happening and there's nothing we can do about it. Yet.

"Director, the old Moment located in the BAD Area is active." One of the workers bring up a map showing that it is, indeed, working. "It's spinning in the opposite direction."

"The old Moment!" Yusei exclaims.

"Is this because of the Ark Cradle?" Jack asks.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Crow mutters, pressing his hands to his face.

"Director, Chief Akutsu is contacting us." Another worker speaks.

"Answer it!"

"Director Jaeger!" The scientist exclaims, while spinning in circles. Clearly a man to be trusted right now. "While I was getting dizzy, I discovered many answers! The object is Moment with a negative spin!"

"Negative spin?" Yusei echoes.

"See for yourself!" An image of the Ark Cradle is brought up on the giant monitor. "This is satellite analysis of that object. At its center is a huge Moment surrounded by three Yusei Gears, and it has a negative spin!"

"It's causing Neo Domino City's Moments to stop spinning." Jack comments.

"Correct!" Akutsu comes back onto the monitor. "As long as it continues to spin in the opposite direction, all Moments in Neo Domino City are stopped." Akutsu manages to stop spinning long enough to do a small bow. "And there's something more terrifying! That object is gradually falling."

"What?" Yusei exclaims as everyone else seems to go into shock. It's just as I expected.

"At this rate, it will crash in twelve hours!" Akutsu continues. "The impact will spread several hundred kilometers beyond Neo Domino City!

"Only twelve hours…" Jaeger turns to the staff in the room. "How long will it take to evacuate everyone from Neo Domino City?"

"It will take at least twenty-four hours." One of them answers.

"That's not enough time!"

"I must let the people know that there's an emergency! Route emergency power to the City's monitors!" Jaeger leaves the room for a few moments to give the evacuation message. It plays in the room. I sigh, twiddling my thumbs. He comes back and stands in the centre of the room. "Evacuate immediately." He speaks to the staff.

"What about you, Director?" One of the staff stands up, putting his hands on the desk.

"I won't leave my post until the end." Jaeger lowers his head.

"But that means…" Another staff member mutters.

"I order all staff to evacuate immediately!" Jaeger puts his hand in the air, before going into a salute. "I pray for your safety." All of the staff in the room stand and salute Jaeger before leaving.

As soon as the room clears out, Bruno moves to a computer. He types for a few minutes while the rest of us are left in silence.

"I'm pointing all remote control cameras at the Ark Cradle. We might learn something." Bruno says bringing up pictures of the Ark Cradle from different angles.

"What's that?" Jack asks as it shows the buildings that make up the Ark Cradle.

"Is that... a destroyed City?" Aki mutters. Yusei suddenly gasps, stepping forward a little.

"Bruno, enlarge that image!" Yusei points at the screen as Bruno zooms in and rotates the image. A bridge sticks out from the mass of buildings. It's unmistakable. That bridge is the Daedalus Bridge.

"What? That's the Daedalus Bridge!" Jack exclaims.

"Can it be? It's the Satellite from the future!" Crow staggers back. I take a deep breath and exhale. This is only getting worse.

"So it's true?" Aki mutters. "Neo Domino City is going to be destroyed?"

"Isn't there anyway to stop the Ark Cradle?" Jaeger asks. The room is completely silent, nobody's looking at each other.

"Can't we do anything?" Rua repeats.

"Maybe we can." There's something in Bruno's tone of voice. I can't quite place it.

"What? Really?" Bruno nods, turning to the computer. The monitor shows a top view of the Ark Cradle and an estimation of the gears inside.

"The Moment at the center of the Ark Cradle has a negative spin." Bruno explains. "If we strike it with a large positive spin…"

"The negative spin will become a positive spin." Jack finishes.

"But there are no Moments in the City that work." Aki interjects.

"There's nothing we can do. You must evacuate immediately!" Jaeger exclaims.

"What's that?" Yusei points to a smaller monitor at the side, a security camera. Team Ragnarok are riding towards the camera on D-Wheels.

"Team Ragnarok! And they're riding D-Wheels!" We hurry outside to meet them. They're waiting at the entrance as we walk out.

"Team Ragnarok, why are your D-Wheels working?" Yusei asks.

"You haven't figured it out? It's because of this." Brave points to his Rune Eye which has started glowing.

"Just like how Yliaster couldn't affect us, negative Moment can't affect us either." Harald explains.

"I see! That means our D-Wheels…" Yusei, Jack and Crow move over to their D-Wheels. They test their engines, which rev in response. Their Signer Marks glow. This doesn't actually get a response from me, for some reason that is probably the Ark Cradle. This earns a cheer from the twins.

"I have something I want to ask." Harald meets my eyes, his Rune Eye glowing. "I want you to check if your D-Wheel is still working." I say nothing, moving over to my D-Wheel which is parked beside Yusei's. I press my fingertip to the scanner and rev the engine, which roars back at me. "It's as I thought."

"Why does Yuuka's engine work?" Crow looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"I suspect it's because I was in the Spirit World when Yliaster changed history." I meet Harald's eyes as I lie. "I wasn't affected by it." I feel Yusei staring at me. He probably knows that I'm lying.

"We can go to the Ark Cradle." Yusei says, breaking the tension.

"That would be a mistake." Sherry's voice comes over the speakers built into Yusei's D-Wheel. I glance over, seeing her on the monitor.

"Sherry! You're alive!" Yusei exclaims.

"My lady!" Mizoguchi shouts, running over to the screen.

"Yusei, I've seen the future." Sherry says, ignoring Mizoguchi completely. "You shouldn't come to the Ark Cradle. I saw you die at the Ark Cradle."

"I'll die?" Yusei echoes. Something inside of me snaps.  _You will fail if he finds out._  That's what the other Yuuka told me. His death is a certainty.

"Yusei is going to die?" Aki mutters behind me.

"If Yusei comes to the Ark Cradle, that'll be his future." Sherry keeps her completely straight face. I feel tension in my muscles. "A certain person showed me that future."

"Yusei is going to die? That's nonsense!" Crow scoffs. "Who showed you that phony future?"

"Z-One." She answers, which Yusei echoes. "He is the Ark Cradle's ruler and has the power of a god. Yusei, we met him in the other dimension."

"He's the one running Yliaster then." Jack comments.

"Z-One's plans are correct." Sherry continues. "Yusei, you'll die if you try to save Neo Domino City. And the world in the future will be destroyed!"

"Sherry, you're fine if Neo Domino City is destroyed?" Yusei grabs the sides of the monitor, pleading with her. But it's no use. She's our enemy now. I've decided that. "Thousands... No, tens of thousands of people will die!"

"But those deaths will save billions of lives in the future. Including your life, Yusei."

"So much death won't lead to a peaceful future! Destroying Neo Domino City is wrong!" Yusei exclaims.

"You're going to die." She states it as fact.

"I won't know until I try." My hands start shaking at Yusei's words. He's willing to die if it means saving the City. I know Yusei.

"My lady! Where are you?" Mizoguchi asks.

"I'm at the Ark Cradle." She answers.

"He kidnapped you?"

"No, I'm here of my own free will. Mizoguchi, forget about me." She finally acknowledges his presence.

"My lady!" Mizoguchi exclaims.

"Yusei, if you try to stop the Ark Cradle, I'll stop you with all my power." That's it.

"Listen here, Sherry." I push Mizoguchi out of the way to get in view of the monitor. "I've seen the future too. In telling him that, you've made his death a certainty. I don't know what future you've seen." I grab the sides of the monitor in an attempt to stop my hands from shaking more. "But if you come for him, I'll end you before you have the chance." I feel my eyes glowing orange. My powers are barely being contained. I feel like they could spill at any minute causing a wave of destruction around me.

"Fine. I'd like to see you try" She scoffs.

"Why, Sherry?" Yusei asks. "I thought you hated Yliaster!"

"I changed my mind after I saw the future. I'm not like you." Sherry answers before the feed cuts out.

"Yuuka?" I hear Aki ask. I close my eyes, bringing my hands away from the monitor. I cross my arms to stop my hands from shaking.

"Come on, let's go back to the room." Yusei says, with some hesitation in his voice. We walk back in silence. I keep my arms close to my chest. There's questions on the tips of everyone's tongues, I can  _feel_  it.

"Yuuka, what did you mean when you said that you saw the future too?" Aki asks as soon as we get back into the control room.

"I saw the future in a dream." I answer, still not opening my eyes.

"How do you know that's not some phony future like Sherry's?" Jack sneers.

"Well, the last time I had dreams like that I saw myself fall into the old Moment while Kiryu stood over me. So, I think I'm a reliable source." The room falls completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. I look at Yusei, but he avoids my eyes completely.

"We maybe able to stop the Ark Cradle if we strike its centre with Moment's positive spin." Jaeger starts pacing and talking, but there's still tension in the room. "But Team 5D's and Team Ragnarok's D-Wheels and the negatively-spinning old Moment are the only functioning Moments. Can't we just use the old Moment's energy?"

"We can't use Moment's energy if it has a negative spin!" Jack answers. "Do you want the Zero Reverse to happen again?"

"We have to find a way to get there." Yusei crosses his arms, leaning against the front row of the tiered desks.

"All of the helicopters and planes are powered by Moment." Crow interjects. "There are no flying vehicles."

"But there's definitely a way to get there." Yusei says. "I'm there in Sherry's future, that means I somehow managed to get there. We need to find out how I get there."

How  _I_  can get there? His word choice strikes me. He's planning on going alone. That's what he's saying.

"I don't want you to find out how." Rua mutters. "You're going to die if you go there! You don't need to find out how!" He starts tearing up. He shakes his head, running up to Yusei. "I don't want you to die!" Yusei chews his lip.

"Me neither!" Ruka runs up, grabbing his arm.

"Even if you save Neo Domino City-" Tears start streaming down Rua's face before Jack grabs him by his shirt. I just stare at the ceiling. If I let myself feel anything, my powers will spin out of control.

"Stop whining!" Jack shouts. "I'll change the future that she saw! I won't let Yusei die!"

"Jack!" Crow exclaims.

"Jack, stop!" Jaeger puts his hand on Jack's arm. "He's just a child!" Jack scoffs, putting Rua back down on the floor.

"Rua, don't worry." Yusei kneels in front of Rua, who has started sobbing. "Jack is right. I won't die." The twins throw themselves at him. Yusei puts his arms around them as they continue to cry. "I'll be fine." They stand like that until they calm down enough to break away from him. The room falls into silence again.

"I'm going to get some air." Yusei suddenly says, walking towards the door. Rua shifts but Aki puts a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. Nobody says anything as he leaves. I should follow him. I wait a few minutes before leaving the room, muttering something about going to bathroom. I sense Yusei's aura upstairs. It's much easier because no else is around. So much for getting fresh air, I think.

I purposefully run up the stairs in an attempt to relieve some tension in my body.

_Yuuka_. I hear Kaoru's voice in my head, I let him continue.  _Are you okay? They're telling us to evacuate. What's with that thing in the sky? Do you know what's going on?_

I stop halfway walking up the stairs and take a deep breath.

Kaoru, I address him inside my head. I know what's going on but I wouldn't dare to try and explain it now. It's not the time or place for that. Just know that I'm going to stop it. Listen to what Security say and get out as fast as you can. Take Kasumi and get as far away as you can, don't look back. Don't think about me until everything is over, I'm going to fight. If… anything happens to me, you can take my D-Wheel and my deck. You can do whatever you want with them. Give everything else to Yusei, he'll know what to do with it. ...Just don't forget me, okay?

_Yuuka, what are you talking about?_

Listen. I know this is dangerous but it's the only way. Just remember that you're the best brother anyone could ask for, and I love you.

_Yuuka_. The sound of him in my head sounds more and more desperate.

Kaoru, I love you but I'm going to cut the mental connection off until this is over. If the worst happens, I don't want you to experience it. I'll see you on the other side.

_Wait, Yuu-_

I lean against the wall and try to stop the tears from falling. My body goes into fits of shaking. I have to be strong. I tell myself as if it would do any good. Yusei needs me. I move up the stairs again, this time slower. I find Yusei in the cafe area, sitting beside the window. He's staring right at the Ark Cradle. I take a deep breath before walking over to him. I rub my eyes in an attempt to make it seem like I didn't nearly cry.

"I've made my decision." He says to himself.

"And what would that be?" I ask. It's then he realises that I'm there.

"What are you doing here?" His eyes are slightly wide.

"We need to talk." Yusei avoids my eyes and sighs.

"I knew this was coming." I raise my eyebrows at him. "You've looked angry since we got back inside."

"I can assure you that's just my face." Yusei doesn't seem to believe me. I know he hates any confrontation that's not in the form of a card game. I should probably sit down, but I feel entirely too anxious too.

"Ah okay." He looks back towards the window. "I can't let a tragedy like the Zero Reverse happen again."

"I won't either."

"Even if it costs me my life." Yusei's eyes meet mine, and I freeze.

"Yusei." I manage to cough out.

"I know what you're thinking." He sighs again. "If I truly am going to die, I want to, at least, stop the Ark Cradle from falling."

"Do you know what you're saying?" My hands start shaking. "You're just accepting your death. You're not even fighting it. You've fought fate before, and changed it. But now, you're just sitting there?"

"Yuuka." He barely holds eye contact for a second. "You said that my death was a certainty."

"That doesn't matter." I feel tears coming to my eyes. My voice raises and he flinches. "What about me, Yusei? If you die, you're leaving me behind. That's what you're saying. You don't care about  _us._ All because you have this hero complex. You need to be the one to save the City, for something that wasn't even your fault, or your father's. All I wanted to do after we won the tournament was go out for a nice dinner, go home, crack open a bottle of wine and cuddle. I just want for us to be happy and live normal lives together. I want to wake up normal. To not worry about some prophecy about your death or the City being destroyed. Can't you do that? Can't we just be  _normal_? Instead, I have to worry about if you'll be alive, if there will even be a home to go back to. I won't be able to go on without you. No, I  _can't live_  without you. I don't know what I'll do if… if-" Tears start streaming down my face. My entire body starts shaking. Yusei makes a move towards me, but I take a step back.

"Yuuka I-" I jump as I hear the sound of something hitting the floor. Water pools on the floor from a fallen water cooler. I follow Yusei's eyes to a shriveled up indoor hedge. He sighs, moving towards me.

"And you want to go to the Ark Cradle without me." I manage to splutter out. Yusei doesn't say anything in response. "You have nothing to say for yourself."

"I don't want to lose you." Yusei doesn't look me in the eyes, his brow furrowed. "I can't lose you again. I've lost you too many times before, and it won't happen again."

"You've made yourself clear." I mutter, wiping away my own tears as soon as I see Yusei's hands move. "I'm going and you can't stop me." Yusei looks torn apart, but I can't tell what way his feelings are going.

"Fine." He says. "I know better than to argue. But at least we're going together" The other Yuuka told me to go with him, if I can't make him stand down. I have my duel disk, I'll use that if I have to. I refuse to let him die. I might sound hypocritical. Bursting into tears at the thought of him dying, but willing to die for him not to. He could survive without me, I'm sure. He's not damaged the way I am. He has so much to live for. He could change the world if he wanted to. Me? I should have stayed dead in the Old Moment.

"Are we interrupting something?" Harald walks into the canteen with the rest of Team Ragnarok.

"No." I answer bluntly.

"Well, Yusei." Harald continues. "We'll build a bridge to the Ark Cradle."

"What?" Yusei asks. "You can do that?"

"In Norse Mythology, Rainbow Bridge Bifrost connects the world of the gods to the world of the humans." Harald holds up a spell bearing the same name. "The god of light, Heimdallr, stands guard at Bifrost base. Today, the symbol of light is…"

"Symbol of light…" Yusei echoes. "Are you talking about the old Moment?"

"That's right." Harald nods. "We will use the old Moment's energy to create Bifrost, and we will use the powers of our D-Wheels and the three Aesit to fix the old Moment's negative energy."

"We'll build the bridge here." Brave holds up a map with Daedalus Bridge highlighted in the centre.

"That's the Daedalus Bridge!" Yusei exclaims.

"Now, we just need the right supplies." Harald looks to Yusei, expectantly.

"We should have what we need in our garage." Yusei goes to call Bruno to us. They head back to Poppo Time. I don't join them. I think if I look at the garage again, I'll start crying. I don't know if either of us will make it back. I sit waiting at the bottom of Daedalus Bridge, looking up at the Ark Cradle. Even from here, I feel Z-One's aura. It's unsettling. I can't put my finger on why. It's eerily familiar, but not quite. More mechanical, something changed at the very core. Yusei pulls up beside me. There's silence between us.

"Yuuka." He starts.

"Don't." I say. He's just going to try explain his way out of a situation that he's already too deep in. I already know what he really wants to do, and why.

We hear rumbling so we turn around. The three Aesir stand tall above the Satellite, roughly where the old Moment should be. A rainbow light burst up between them. It flies up into the air, brightening up the sky despite the thick cover of cloud. The light of Moment shoots out from the end of Daedalus Bridge. It moves towards the Ark Cradle, spinning around it, creating a bridge for us. I hear the sound of oncoming D-Wheels from behind me. I sigh, already knowing who it is. This is only going to make things more complicated.

"The legendary hero is my idol!" I hear Crow shout. I turn around to face everyone else. "Don't think you can cross that bridge without telling me!" I spot Rua peeking out from behind Crow, and Ruka behind Aki.

"Everyone…" Yusei mutters, looking at everyone that's not me.

"We're coming with you." Jack says.

"How did you get here?" Yusei asks.

"I know more shortcuts in the BAD Area than you do." Crow bares his classic cheeky grin. "We drove here at full speed!"

"I'm glad we made it in time." Aki's shoulders slump in relief.

"I'm going alone." Yusei shakes his head. "I don't know what dangers await!"

"Well, I've already told you that I'm going with you, so you're not." I drum my fingers on the duel disk of my D-Wheel. We're wasting time, we don't know how long that bridge will last.

"Yusei, we won't try to stop you." Jack's mouth forms a straight line. I wish they would. If I could avoid Yusei going, that was perfect. "Because we know that would be pointless. But it's the same for us!" He pumps his fist. "Even if you try to stop us, we're still going! We won't sit back and watch you die!"

"Yusei, we promise to change your future." Aki nods.

"That's right, Yusei!" Rua moves his head further out from behind Crow. "I'm also a member of this powerful team! You should count on me!"

"That's right." Crow flashes a thumbs up. "We've always fought together. That's what Team 5D's is all about!"

"Okay!" Yusei smiles. "Let's save Neo Domino City!" The twins cheer before we start heading up the bridge. Aki and I trail behind everyone else. Our engines are not as good as the guys' engines. The bridge is unnecessarily long, spinning around the Ark Cradle as it ascends. But it's our only way up, so I won't complain, much.

I feel Bruno's aura all of a sudden. I glance further down the bridge to see a D-Wheel following us. That's not possible, I think. In looking back, I manage to see the three Aesir disappear. I start accelerating, pushing my D-Wheel to the limit. This bridge is going to disappear, I need to get up there. The guys are only getting further and further away from us. Yusei turns back for us.

"Are you two okay?" He shouts over the noise of the engines.

"Yusei, we can't drive any faster." Aki says, the anxiety clear in her voice. The end of the bridge is moving closer to us by the second. It's moments away from flying beneath us and leaving in a very bad situation.

"Ruka, jump over here!" Yusei answers. "My D-Wheel has more power! If you have less weight, you'll speed up!"

"But we're driving too fast to jump!" Aki scolds.

"If you don't, you won't survive!" Well, I'm doomed. That's what I'm hearing.

"I'll do it, Aki!" Ruka pulls herself up. Yusei moves the side of his D-Wheel upwards, stretching his arm out for Ruka.

"Hurry!" Yusei shouts.

"Here I go!" Ruka throws herself from Aki's D-Wheel. Yusei manages to catch her. I sigh in relief. The mysterious D-Wheeler with Bruno's aura comes up from behind us. He drives in front of us, making a slip stream.

"Yusei, get in my slipstream and follow me!" He shouts back at Yusei. That voice. The mysterious D-Wheeler from the WRGP and Bruno are the same person? What is going on?

"Understood. Follow me!" I fall in behind Yusei, with Aki trailing me. I accelerate again, moving onto the concrete of the Ark Cradle. Aki has to jump to make it. I sigh in relief. It's then I realise how high up we are. My hands start shaking and I have to grip the sides of my D-Wheel to stop myself falling off. The Moment energy of the Ark Cradle reflects on my visor, so I close my eyes. I have to push the image of Kiryu's gaunt face from my mind.

"Ruka!" Rua jumps off Crow's D-Wheel, running towards his twin. "Ruka, thank goodness!" He shouts, practically tackling her into a hug. I focus on them to stave away the anxiety.

"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yusei puts his hand on my arm.

"I'll survive." I mutter.

"Who are you?" Jack turns to the mysterious D-Wheeler.

"I've lost my memories. I came here to find them." How convenient I think. He's really Bruno, that's a certainty. But Bruno's true identity is another thing altogether.

"We don't have time for this." Crow scoffs. "You're fine as long as you're not our enemy!"

"Let's go!" Yusei pumps his fist. "We're going to the centre of the Ark Cradle! That's where Z-One is!" It takes a few minutes to reach the centre, as the path spirals around for far too long. We reach the rainbow dome that had been taunting us. "Is this Moment energy?"

"Looks like it." I sigh, looking around at anything that isn't it. "What do we do now?" I feel Z-One's aura throb and the floor give away.

My first instinct is to scream. Yusei, relatively near me, turns on his headlights, illuminating the darkness. The floor is nearer than I thought, so I pull my D-Wheel up. I land shakily, but upright after drifting. My body starts shaking again. I close my eyes and press both of my feet to the floor, disembarking for a moment. I lower myself to the ground slowly.

"Is everyone okay?" I hear Yusei shout. I feel his hand on my back. My hands are pressing to my face. My breaths are shaking but the oxygen is at least getting back into me. I hear everyone panicking but I can't bring myself to look.

"Everyone is safe!" I hear the mysterious D-Wheeler say, maybe I should just call him Bruno.

"However... We can't go together." I glance up and see everyone separated on different platforms. Crow and Aki stand together, while the twins are with Jack. Bruno managed to land near Yusei and I.

"Unbelievable. What can we do?" Crow asks.

"Look at this." Bruno says, walking to his D-Wheel. Wait, that's not Bruno's… You know what, I'm in a Moment reactor floating in the sky. I'm just not going to ask questions anymore.

"What is this?" Yusei moves away from me, to his own D-Wheel. I imagine there's something on the monitor.

"I scanned the Ark Cradle's interior." Bruno explains. "We're on three different paths that lead to three Yusei Gears that surround the Sun Gear. If we don't stop the Yusei Gears first, we can't give a positive spin to the Moment that powers the Sun Gear. Yusei, there's no time. If we don't hurry, the Ark Cradle is going to fall on Neo Domino City."

"Everyone, listen!" Yusei raises his voice slightly so everyone can hear. He moves over to me, helping me stand again. "We're splitting into three teams, and we'll each go to a different Gear. I believe in you. I know we'll reunite at the Sun Gear!" He sits back on his own D-Wheel, revving the engine. "Let's go!"

"Yusei! Fine, but you also better be careful. You better not die!" Crow shouts back at him.

"We'll wait for you at the Sun Gear." Aki says as I get back on my D-Wheel. I take a deep breath, grabbing the handles. Another deep breath. I'm okay. We're still alive.  _For now_. Everyone's engines roars and they drive away.

"I'm counting on you." Yusei says more to himself than anyone else. He turns to me. "Come on, Yuuka. It's a straight path to the gear." I nod, heading off into a tunnel. Already, I'm lagging behind Yusei and Bruno.

"Stupid engine." I mutter. Yusei turns to me, clearly deep in thought. "You're not going on ahead. I know I'm driving a little slower than normal."

"Yuuka, we're running out of time." I close my eyes and think for a second. Knowing my life, a duel will be involved in stopping the gear. Yusei should be okay, he shouldn't die in a duel. There's no Dark Signers to lock him into a duel, which death of one duelist is certain. Right? Hopefully. I don't want to become a Dark Signer again, or face one for that matter. Why am I suddenly thinking of facing a Dark Signer? I've never considered it before. Maybe in a previous lifetime, I was on the other side of the battle.

"Fine." I say. "Just… stay safe, okay?"

"I will, don't worry."

"Take care of him." I look to Bruno. "He needs to stay alive." Bruno nods back at me. They speed up, slowly getting further and further ahead of me.

Just follow the path, I think to myself. Nothing will go wrong. Yusei will be okay, he'll survive. I've fought tooth and nail to get this far. I refuse to let myself fall here, the last hurdle.

The noise of my D-Wheel is the only thing I can hear. I spot a white light, the end of the tunnel. I drive out into an open space. I try not to look down into the abyss below. I drive in between two giant white gears. There's slivers of Moment's light moving through the gears above and below me, as well as in the axle, connecting them. I park my D-Wheel beside the axle, I take off my helmet, placing it on the seat. I walk out to the edge of the gears, looking around. Yusei and Bruno aren't here. Their auras feel faint, as if they're surrounding me. I try reaching out to Yusei's mind. Something about a star, space, Bruno. I groan, knowing that sounds like danger. The aura in the room is pretty strange as a whole. It feels almost overwhelming. I shake my head, must be all the Moment. My neck stretches out, looking at the gears seemingly made of Moment energy spinning below.

A blast of energy knocks me off my feet. I manage to grab the edge of the gear. My hair flies out of my ponytail and into my face. I swing my other arm, grabbing onto the platform in an attempt to pull myself back up.

"Z-One told me not to kill you." No. It can't be. "But I just couldn't help myself." Black dress shoes appear in front of my hands. I crane my neck to look up. Raiden Kimura, in all his glory, stands staring down at me. "Surely you'd understand,  _Yuuka_."


	74. Twisted Every Way

I wonder exactly what decision led me to dangling off a gear in an island in the sky, all because of Raiden Kimura. I've made so many questionable decisions at this point in my life, that I'm not entirely sure.

Raiden bends down and grabs my arm, pulling me back onto the platform. I sit down for a second, catching my breath. The tangled mess that is my hair falls into my face. The force of Raiden's attack must have taken it out of its ponytail. I look up at Raiden. He towers over me. He glares down at me. He looks exactly the same as I remember him. Even the length of his brown bangs sweeping over his right brow.

"What did you mean?" I pant. "That Z-One told you not to kill me?"

"Exactly what you think it means." He turns his back on me and walks away. Why would Z-One want to keep me alive? It makes no sense, no matter how you look at it.

"So you're working for Z-One?" I ask.

"Yes, you're finally catching on."

"But why?" Staring at his back makes a raw anger boil up inside me. I remember the promise that I made to myself. I would finish Raiden Kimura with my own hands.

"Well," he turns around to face me, "to get back at you, of course. Z-One gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he could give me the power to defeat you. How could I let an offer like that slide?"

"Raiden, he's trying to destroy the City. Millions of people will die."

"But I will get what I want. Only Z-One has the power to grant my wish."

"And what would that be? What could be more important than human lives?" I snarl.

"That's none of your concern." He responds. "All that matters is that when the Ark Cradle falls, everything will be as it should. All I have to do is defeat Yusei Fudo in return. That will be easy. He took everything from me, Yuuka." Raiden's disposition becomes much darker.

"How did he take everything from you?" I press my hands on the ground, forcing myself to stand up. "You've never met him."

"But he met you."

"What?" I mutter.

"He took you from me, Yuuka. Can't you see that?" His eyes start glowing violet from the anger inside him. "If he had just left us alone, none of this would have happened, but no! He had to show up and lure you away from me. I lost you, our territory, my entire life all because of Yusei Fudo! He has to pay for what he done."

"No. You're wrong." I say, walking towards my D-Wheel. I feel Raiden's eyes following me as I walk. "Yusei didn't do any of that. It was my decision, and my decision alone."

"Then I'll destroy you too!"

"So be it." I sigh, taking my duel disk from my D-Wheel, attaching it to my wrist dealer. "I refuse to let you destroy my life any more. You've used and abused me. You've controlled every aspect of my life. Even when you disappeared, you still tried to ruin my life. Wherever I go, whatever I do, your presence still lingers. You've ruined me. You destroyed my innocence and tainted me. Now, you're back. You're threatening to destroy everything I hold dear. I can't let that stand. I will stop once and for all! Even if it means killing you in the process."

I turn to face Raiden. His look of shock fades into smugness.

"Fine." He scoffs. "I accept your challenge." My hand moves to my duel disk while I walk to the other side of the gear, so I'm facing him directly. Raiden activates the duel disk on his arm, and I do the same.

"So this is it?" I say, Raiden only smirks in response. He fixes the lapel and collar of his black suit jacket and shirt. If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's how immaculately he dresses.

"Duel!" We both chant.

"I'll take the first move, it's only fitting." I grit my teeth. I really don't need him going first now. "My turn!" Raiden declares. "I summon Skelesaurus(ATK:1700), set one card and end my turn." The appearance of the monster, which takes the form of a dinosaur's skeleton, unsettles me. Right from the get-go, Raiden is manifesting his monsters. Like, top of the list of things I don't really need right now.

"My turn, I draw!" I look at my hand. Given my current hand, I can only match his attack points. It will have to do for now. "I summon The Fabled Kokkator(ATK:1700)." I say as a small green dragon-chicken hybrid appears on the field. I put in the energy to manifest Kokkator. Its high pitched screech hurts my ears. Raiden realises that I'm manifesting too, and grins.

"Manifesting? On purpose too? That's not like you, Yuuka."

"If I need to use powers to defeat you, so be it." I answer. "I expect nothing less than your blood on my hands." I must save Yusei. Defeating, and possibly murdering, Raiden Kimura is the only way to do that. "I set one card and end my turn."

"You're so foolish. You can't see what Z-One will do for us."

"Z-One is trying to kill millions of people." It takes all of me not to sigh. I need to stay strong so I can get through to him. If not, he's going down. "I can't see what he can offer us that would justify that."

"You're too young and blind to see why." Raiden bears this sarcastic smile. "My turn. I activate Polymerization from my hand! I fuse the Tuner Monsters, Krebons and Plaguespreader Zombie, in my hand! From the depths come despair. Arise to haunt the living! Fusion Summon! Appear, Sea Monster of Theseus(ATK:2200)!" A tattered ship appears on the field before tentacles stretch from it. Narrow red eyes glow in the shadow of the ship above it. It lets out a shriek that raises the hair on the back of my neck. "Sea Monster of Theseus attacks Kokkator! Squall Wreckage!" The monster whips up a wind which fades as soon as it appears, taking my monster with it. My life points fall to 3500, as the wind drags me backwards towards the edge of the platform. I take a deep breath. I don't need this in my life, I repeat to myself. "Now, Skelesaurus attacks you directly!"

"Not so fast!" I interrupt. "I activate my facedown, Defense Draw! During Damage Calculation, I can make the damage I take this battle 0!" The monster stops in its tracks, returning to Raiden's side of the field. "If this is successful, I can draw one card." Fabled Lurrie. I look back at my hand. Not to worry, I have a strategy.

"I end my turn." Raiden scoffs. "You're safe… for now."

"What could cause to work for Z-One? What has he promised you?" I ask.

"What do you want most in the world, Yuuka? More than anything."

"To be normal." I answer. No islands in the sky, no prophesies of certain death, no marks from ancient deities. All I want right now is to celebrate a tournament win with my boyfriend on our couch. I want to fall asleep in his arms, and wake up normal. Nothing in my life causing stress like this. That's what I want.

"That's what Z-One can give you. After the Ark Cradle destroys the City, Z-One promised to change the past."

"Change the past?" I mutter.

"Yes, Z-One promised to erase our struggles from history. No more psychics will have to suffer because of who we are." Raiden's eyes are wide and glowing. "Isn't that what we've always wanted, Yuuka? Imagine. We don't have to live in fear anymore!"

"Is that dream really worth destroying the City?" I ask.

"Of course, Yuuka. I can't see why you don't understand that."

"My turn, I draw." I sigh. "I activate The Fabled Chawa's effect from my hand. I can discard one Fabled Monster from my hand to Special Summon it(ATK:200)! I discard Fabled Lurrie, whose effect activates! When this card is discarded to the grave, I can Special Summon it(ATK:200)! Next, I summon The Fabled Ganashia(ATK:1600). Level 1 Chawa tunes Level 1 Lurrie and Level 3 Ganashia. The will of many combine into one. Join together and bring forth revolution! Synchro Summon! Arise, Fabled Ragin(ATK:2300)!" The yellow fiend, adorned with black and red, stretches its wings while crossing its arms. "Ragin attacks Sea Monster of Theseus! Legion Strike!" Ragin flies up into the air, swooping down on Raiden's monster, destroying it. Raiden's life points fall to 3900. "I end my turn."

"I don't know how you can say that you don't want to relive our people of their plight." Raiden glares at me. "Have you forgotten what you've gone through? You running away from home because your family thought you were a monster? Being pushed away from society because you destroy everything you touch? Only being accepted in Black Flag? How could you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten." I grit my teeth.

"The Satellite wouldn't exist either. Think about it." Raiden continues. "You wouldn't have slurs thrown at you in the street. No one would judge you at first glance. You'd be able to find a job instead of mooching off everyone around you like the worthless thing you are. No having to wear that mark, a painful reminder of your tragic childhood. Scrapping food together, sleeping in an abandoned building with only a scratchy blanket for warmth. Not knowing a mother's love because she died of something curable. Why? Because no one cared enough to save her-"

"Shut up!" I roar back at him. Tears suddenly burning in my eyes.

"Then, you're admitting that I'm right." I can't bring myself to answer him. That would be ideal. Not being forced to the outskirts of society for things that I cannot control. No. I can't let myself be tempted. Z-One is trying to kill millions of people and destroy my home, I repeat to myself. Yusei will die if I allow it to happen. Yusei comes before my life and happiness. No matter what. He's the most important thing in my life, and will always be.

"My turn." Raiden declares after realising that I won't answer. "I activate Gemini Spark from my hand! I tribute Level 4 Skelesaurus on my field to destroy Fabled Ragin!" Ragin disappears in a flash of light. "This lets me draw a card. I summon Beast of the Pharaoh(ATK:300) and attack you directly!" The bull monster charges towards me. I roll out of the way, but it catches my side. I flop onto the ground, grabbing my waist. "I end my turn." I shakily stand up. My life points now stand at 3100.

"My turn, I draw!" Nozoochee. I'm fighting for Yusei, nothing else matters until I can guarantee his safety. No matter what pain I endure, I must keep going. "I discard Fabled Kushano from my hand to activate The Fabled Nozoochee's effect. I can Special Summon from my hand(ATK:1200)! Nozoochee's second effect activates! If it's successfully summoned by its effect, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-below Fabled Monster from my hand. Appear, Fabled Raven(ATK:1300)! Sacred beast of the woodland, cast your light and purify the world! Synchro Summon! Come forth, The Fabled Unicore(ATK:2300)!" The monster resembling a unicorn appears. The delicate energy that radiates from it almost cleanses me. "Unicore attacks Beast of the Pharaoh! Horn of Judgement!" The light radiating from Unicore destroys Raiden's monster, causing his life points to drop to 2000. I'm halfway there. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Yuuka, if you don't agree with me, I'm afraid I will have to end you. I can't let you stop Z-One's plan. This is what I've worked for my entire life." Raiden grits his teeth. "My turn. I summon Tristan, Knight of the Underworld(ATK:1800)! Next, I activate Ghost Fusion! This lets me fuse a Zombie-Type Monster on my field with one from my deck or grave. I chose Tristan on my field and Isolde, Belle of the Underworld from my deck!"

"Fusion? Again?" I mutter under my breath.

"Dark despair, rise up against foolish oppression. Ascend from the depths of hell to exact your revenge! Fusion Summon!" Raiden presses his hands together as if in prayer. "Show yourself, Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon(ATK:3000)!" A dragon appears out of a dark vortex, baring it claws. It stretches out its four wings and let out a roar that blows my hair back.

"No." I keep repeating to myself. Raiden's eyes have only starting glowing brighter. It almost looks like his entire eye is glowing violet. My own eyes start glowing in response. This is Raiden's ace monster. I'm doomed.

"Dragonecro attacks Unicore! Revolution Burst!" Raiden shouts as his dragon discharges a burst of dark energy. I swear I can hear screams as the dark energy starts to surround me. I pant as my life points drop to 2400. It's not hurting me physically but I can feel it. Unicore still stands in front of me, looking worse for wear. "Dragonecro can't destroy monsters in battle. If this card battles a monster and it still on the field, I can summon a Token with that monster's attack points and original Level(ATK:2300/LV:4). Dark Soul Token attacks The Fabled Unicore!"

"I activate Dimension Guardian!" I shout, interrupting the attack. "One face up monster on my field can't be destroyed by battle or card effects" The attack still comes. The impact of it is enough to knock me off my feet. Unicore makes a strangled noise as I get back on my feet. My life points stand at a measly 100.

"I end my turn." He scoffs. "Next turn, you will lose. Just accept it. Psychics can only be happy when this City is destroyed. The Zero Reverse caused all of this. There have been more psychics than ever before, all of them born around the time of the Zero Reverse. Do you think that's a coincidence? It's not. Z-One told me himself."

"Z-One did?" I mutter. For a second, I wonder about a world with no Zero Reverse. Would I still have been a psychic? The Zero Reverse certainly didn't help my powers, maybe even made them stronger than they would have been. Much of the tragedy that plagued my early life, no, everyone's, might not have happened. "That doesn't matter." I realise. I can't let myself be deluded. "Maybe things would have been better for us if it didn't happen. Maybe they wouldn't. There could be some other tragedy that will make our lives hell. We just have to accept that. Live is never going to be easy for us."

"No, our lives would have been better if it weren't for the Zero Reverse. Z-One is promising us a world without discrimination against psychics. I can't believe that you're going to pass that up!" He shouts back at me, his face completely distorted in anger.

"Our lives may not be perfect, Raiden." I sigh. "But, they're ours. We've been through a lot of shit but we're stronger because of it. If it were for the whole psychic thing, we wouldn't have met each other. We wouldn't have met anyone. Shinji, Reika, Anako, everyone. Those relationships exist because we got dealt the bad hand. But you know what? We've accepted that. We know that we're psychics and face the world with our heads held high. Society may hate us and want us dead. But we keep going. We love each other because no else will. There's nothing purer in this world than a bunch of outcasts sticking together because we've got no one else. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Because I'm a psychic, I've made friends that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I'm not letting them go. No matter what. I can't afford to lose. I won't let you control my life any longer!"


	75. Set Fire to the Rain

I wanted to kill Raiden Kimura. I promised myself that I would kill him.

Then, I realised. It would make me no better than him. I can't promise a better future if he isn't around to see it. I'm telling him that he can't kill millions of people because he's angry about the past, and kill him for the same reason.

I make another promise to myself then. I will defeat Raiden Kimura, here and now. Make him see the error of his ways. So that, maybe, we could both create a better future for psychics. Then and only then, could I stop the Ark Cradle falling and Yusei's supposed certain death.

"My turn!" I know what card I need. Please. "I draw." I resist the urge to grin. "I activate Pot of Avarice. I target five Monster Cards in my grave and shuffle them into my deck, allowing me to draw two cards. I activate Fabled Kushano's effect from the grave. I can discard one Fabled Monster from my hand to add this card to my hand. I discard The Fabled Cerburrel, whose effect activates! When this card is discarded, I can Special Summon it(ATK:1000)! Now, I summon Kushano. Level 3 Kushano tunes Level 2 Cerburrel and Level 4 Unicore! A frozen spear falls from the heavens and pierces the earth! Usher in a cycle of destruction and rebirth! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier(ATK:2700)!" Tiny ice shards burst into the air. They catch the rainbow light coming from the gears around us, projecting it around us. Trishula roars, raising its three heads. "Trishula's effect activates! I banish one card from your field! I choose Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon!" A pitch black vortex opens behind Raiden's dragon. It's dragged into it, shrieking. "I banish Plaguespreader Zombie from your grave, and a random card from your hand!"

"Yuuka." Raiden says, his voice barely a whisper. For a second, I see that lost boy. Abandoned by his father. Lost in the world. Left with strange powers that destroys everything he touches. Scared and lost. Then, I remember who that boy grew up to become.

"That's it. You're gone from my past, present and future! I don't need you anymore. I refuse to let you control me anymore." My voice shakes slightly as it raises. "You say that psychics can only be happy if the past is rewritten. You're wrong. We are already creating our own futures, for ourselves. Things mightn't be the best right now, but it will get better. The world is becoming kinder to us every day. Aki competed in the WRGP. She wasn't heckled, she wasn't called a witch. People just watched her, and they were content with that! Screw changing history! I know my path. I will carve my future, no,  _our_  future with my own hands. That's what I've decided. What will you do?" Raiden stands staring at me with wide eyes. "I activate the Equip Spell, Megamorph and equip it to Trishula! If my life points are lower than yours, Trishula's attack doubles(ATK:2700-5400)." I take a deep breath. My aura quells. "Trishula attacks you directly! Trinity Shard Burst!" Trishula sends a flurry of ice shards towards Raiden. They catch the light of Moment, filling the room with an ambiance. His life points fall to 0, and everything fades away. He remains standing, silent. I walk towards him, while putting my deck back in its holder on my belt.

"I'm sorry." He says. I say nothing in return. I can't say that I forgive him right now, or that I ever will. This man has put me through hell, and I may never come to grips with that fully. Between crafting me into the perfect soldier, and setting me up to overtake the City just to take that away from me. "I used you, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I went too far in my anger. I hope you can forgive me." He looks me in the eyes. There is a real sadness in his violet eyes. I used to fear those eyes. They'd glare me down until I was forced to pick a path that I didn't want to go down. But now, I feel nothing. "You had every motive to hurt me, but you didn't. You're stronger than I'll ever be."

"I wanted to kill you." I answer. He gasps slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on me. I avoid his gaze. "But then I realised it would change nothing. Those scars that you left me would still be there, reminding me of what we had. You don't deserve to die, no one does." I sigh, meeting his eyes again. "That's what I've realised. You can't let millions of people die because you're angry at those who have hurt us before, and may hurt us again."

"I suppose you're right." Raiden has this melancholy smile on his face. "I never gave you enough credit. You're a better person than I'll ever be."

"What? Like it's hard?" I answer. I can tell that it makes him want to groan. "I honestly don't know how you wanted me to react to that."

"I think you're right." He says. "Maybe we do have a future. If the Daedalus Bridge can get built, who knows what we could do."

"It's not going to be perfect right away." I sigh. "But you just gotta have some hope."

We just kinda stare at each other for a few minutes. There's not much more to say. I mean, given that the last time I saw him, he collapsed a building on top of me. He tried to murder me. I wanted to do the same, maybe even be successful this time. But not anymore. Just looking at him brings back glimpses of the past, when I was just that much more naive. He took me under his wing in an attempt to sleep with me and turn me into a warrior for his cause. I know things now that I didn't then. I would never go through that again, but still, I'm grateful for what I've learned. I hated it, but I'm stronger for it.

I hope he has changed, that he saw the light. He was power hungry and cold. He wanted the City and a chance at revenge at those who had oppressed us. He can't continue as he is now. If I have to play a part in that change, then so be it.

I hear the rumble of an engine. I turn around as there's a burst of light. Yusei's D-Wheel bursts out of the light. It skids, before tripping over, throwing Yusei from it.

"Yusei!" I scream as I run over to him. He stands up just as I reach him. I feel my knuckles turn white as I grip his arms. His aura… It's dark, why? What happened? His eyes suddenly widen. There's horror written on his face. I follow his gaze. Bruno's chipped visor lies on the ground. Oh no. I turn back to Yusei. I see tears forming in his eyes. I go to put my hands up to his face, but I stop myself as Yusei screams Bruno's name. His name pours out of his mouth like a river. My hands grip his face. His eyes open as soon as my cold hands touch him. His eyes look around us, freezing where Raiden is. He wipes his eyes and his face hardens. I pull him into a hug, pressing his head into my shoulder. I take a deep breath as his body shakes. He raises his head, pulling away from me.

"Yuuka, who is this?" He looks towards Raiden, who shifts awkwardly in his place.

"Nobody important." I narrow my eyes at Raiden, who stays silent. I don't need Yusei to know that the guy who tried to murder me is here right at this second.

"Okay," Yusei says rather nonchalantly. "Let's just head to the Sun Gear already. I'm tired and I want to go home."

"Let me come with you." Raiden speaks up. "I refuse to let Z-One to go through with his plans, he must be stopped."

"Sure, I guess." Yusei shrugs his shoulders.

"You got your spare helmet?" I ask Yusei, who nods. He goes over to his D-Wheel and heaves it upright. He throws me the helmet from where he's standing. I look back at Raiden. "Take my D-Wheel I guess. Try not to crash it or I'll beat your ass,  _again_." I put my duel disk back with my D-Wheel before moving behind Yusei on his. We drive off towards the Sun Gear in complete silence. I spot everyone else standing at a door as tall as a building. The twins call for Yusei as we pull up.

"Yusei! Yuuka!" Crow comes up to us. His eyes move towards Raiden pulling up on my D-Wheel behind us.

"Everyone, you're okay," Yusei says as he takes off his helmet. Crow's eyes move back to us. I take off Yusei's spare helmet. I feel my hair already becoming tangled, since it's not in a ponytail anymore. I wish I had a spare hair tie, but it's not like I had lots of time to prepare for this.

"Yusei, look at this!" Rua points to a heart-shaped mark on his arm, immediately grabbing our attention. "I'm the sixth Signer! I'm just like Yusei and Jack!"

"That mark..." I mutter. "I've seen it before."

"What?" Rua asks, eyes wide.

"It appeared on your arm before, after your duel with Luciano."

"Huh!?" Rua exclaims. "And you didn't tell me!"

"I wasn't sure if it was real or not." I chuckle nervously. "I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing."

"My mark didn't stay on my arm the first time it appeared." Yusei adds, a small smile on his face. That smile looks fake, I can see through it in an instant. No one else seems too bothered by it.

"Yusei, I wish you could have seen Rua's duel." Jack smiles in Yusei's direction. "It was quite impressive." Rua blushes, spinning on the spot.

"If it wasn't for Rua, we couldn't have stopped the Yusei Gear." Rua's spinning becomes more frantic with Ruka's words.

"You're exaggerating!" Rua slows down to hide his face in his hands. Yusei puts his hand on Rua's shoulder, stopping him in his place.

"Well done, Rua." Rua's face falls completely before going into a big grin.

"Y-Yusei!" All traces of embarrassment have gone from his face, replaced with shock. I laugh to myself at how exaggerated his expression is.

"Sherry!" Yusei exclaims, bringing my attention to the blonde woman who said she'd murder my boyfriend if she saw him in the Ark Cradle. I disembark Yusei's D-Wheel, ready for a fight.

"I've decided to battle alongside you." Sherry says, ignoring my glares completely. There's a couple of seconds of tense silence as she and Yusei have a staring competition.

"I understand." Yusei finally answers. I give him a strange look. Sometimes I wish I was forgiving as Yusei, then other times, I think he's an idiot. This is one of those times.

"Yusei, where's the guy with the visor?" Aki asks and I gulp. Here we go.

"He's gone." Yusei looks down so that his hair covers his eyes. "He was the guardian of the Yusei Gear. He really was... Bruno." Yusei forces Bruno's name from his lips. It's going to be like this until Yusei lets himself grieve. It hasn't really sunken in that Bruno is dead yet. I know I should feel sad, but my mind isn't comprehending it. I feel like I'm going to return to the garage and Bruno is going to be sitting at the computer, waiting for us.

"Bruno?" Crow echoes.

"Yeah." Yusei answers, avoiding Crow's gaze. When Yusei's upset, he doesn't like to talk. He just wants to sulk until he feels well enough to talk again. This isn't helping him at all.

"What do you mean?" I take a deep breath as more questions are asked. "Why Bruno?"

"Bruno's real name was Antinomy," Yusei explains. "Like Aporia, Z-One sent him here in order to change the future."

"Bruno was Z-One's servant?" Jack raises an eyebrow at us. I avoid his gaze and stay silent, I know just as much as everyone else. Yusei can tell me what he wants to when he's ready.

"Does that mean that Bruno was our enemy?" Ruka mutters.

"No!" Yusei's voice raises just enough that I flinch. "It's true that Z-One sent Bruno. However, Bruno really did want to battle alongside us. That's why Bruno taught me something while he battled me. A new power I need to battle Z-One."

"A new power?" Jack repeats.

"It's called Delta Accel Synchro," Yusei nods. "He sacrificed himself to save me." This gets a gasp from everyone else.

"That means that Bruno is..." Aki's words trail off as the reality of the situation sets in. It doesn't feel real. Bruno is waiting for us at the garage, my mind keeps insisting on it.

"Yeah," Yusei looks down so his hair covers his face. "He entrusted us with the future."

"Bruno..." Crow's fist clenches. "I'll make him pay! How dare he use Bruno to guard the Yusei Gear!"

"Sherry, Z-One is up ahead, right?" Jack asks, to which Sherry nods. "Let's go, Yusei! To get Bruno's revenge. I won't stay quiet after he used my friend as a shield!"

"Yeah!" Yusei looks up, his face steeled into something more Yusei-like.

"Wait, wait." Jack raises his hand before pointing to Raiden who stayed by my D-Wheel the entire time. "Who is that?" Raiden's eyes widen, he moves over to us. He stands in front of Jack, hand stretched out for a handshake.

"I'm Raiden Kimura, nice to meet you. You must be Jack, right?" Everyone's eyes dart to me. I avoid everyone's gaze and pouts into the nothingness around us. Jack's fist flies up, meeting Raiden's jaw. The impact causes Raiden to stagger backwards, before falling to the ground.

"Go fuck yourself." Jack's eyes narrow into a glare. I see Aki take a step forward, but Crow puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Everyone's eyes move to me again, even Raiden's.

"What?" I look back at Raiden. "You deserved it."

"Yuuka, why is he here?" Crow's eyes blink a little too fast. I think he's resisting the urge to jump Raiden on the spot.

"He may have also been working for Z-One." I answer.

"Why didn't you tell me that was Raiden?" Yusei turns to me, looking rather offended.

"I beat his ass in a duel, besides, he's helping us now."

"Listen here." Jack picks up Raiden off the ground by the front of his shirt. Despite the fact that Raiden is a tiny bit taller than Jack, Raiden looks scared shitless. "If you pull any funny business or even think about hurting her-" Jack points to me, "again, I swear to the gods, I'm throwing you off the Ark Cradle myself. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear," Raiden nods. Jack lets go off his shirt, and the tension simmers but doesn't go away. Raiden is getting glares thrown at him from every angle.

"Alright, on that slightly soured note," I sigh. "Next stop, Z-One!" We silently go to our D-Wheels, with me sitting behind Yusei on his, and head through the giant door. We arrive at a ramp and starting climbing. The ramp starts spiralling, making me feel slightly dizzy. Gears made of what looks like solid Moment float in the air, spinning.

"What is this place?" Rua asks.

"No idea." I answer. "I just want this done and over it, so I can suppress the memory of it already-"

"Look at that!" Crow points to the centre of the room at what looks to be a tower.

"It's the old Moment." Yusei mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. The Ark Cradle really is the Satellite in Z-One's future. A part of me still doesn't recognise the gravity of the situation. Then, the star-shaped star that the other Yuuka gave me burns and I remember. Why I'm here and what I have to do. Stop Yusei from dying. Simple idea in concept, difficult in execution.

"The old Moment's energy must be powering the Sun Gear," Aki explains. Makes sense if I think about it. Then again, if I start thinking too much, I feel ill. Maybe I should just stop thinking altogether. I spot the end of the tunnel in front of us. It reminds me of my younger days in the Satellite, hunting for shitty cards in junk piles.

Z-One's aura throbs as we drive through the mountains of junk. My chest might as well burst into flames, it feels that hot.

"Over there! I shout, pointing in the direction of his aura. I spot the machine that Z-One inhabits, sitting at the top of a pile of junk. Our D-Wheels all come to a stop. I disembark, walking towards the pile. I nearly fall at the strength of his aura. Yusei catches my arm. I freeze. I stare up at Z-One. His aura. It's been familiar to me for so long. I could never place my finger on it. Mechanical, but somehow, it's almost like I've known it my entire life. I look back at Yusei, and then to Z-One.

I know why that aura is familiar.

Underneath that mechanical disguise, lies Yusei's aura.


	76. Prelude

"Welcome Team 5D's."

My first time seeing Z-One, the fabled man inside of a machine, fills me with such confusion.

"Huh?" Z-One turns slightly as we reach the bottom of the trash heap that he stands on top of. I get my first good luck at him. I realise something. Z-One's mask resembles Yusei's helmet. The arch coming up over Z-One's head looks like the arch on Yusei's D-Wheel.

First of all, his aura is so similar to Yusei's that it creeps me out. Now this?

My gut instinct is pointing me towards a conclusion that I don't want to face.

"You finally showed yourself!" Jack shouts up at him. Despite the fact that Z-One has shown himself to me before, in a vision. A ghost. That's what he called me. What does he mean?

"I've seen your duels. Team 5D's, you fought well." Z-One rotates slowly as he talks. My eyes follow him carefully. I feel almost drawn to him in some strange way. "Sherry and Raiden, you joined them?"

"I won't look at my past anymore!" Sherry answers. "I'll only look towards the future!"

"The future is ours to decide, Z-One!" Raiden's voice rings in my ears. I have this strange unsettling feeling.

"For the sake of the future, we'll eliminate you!"

"We won't let you destroy Neo Domino City!"

"I promised Bruno that we would save the future!" Yusei is keeping his emotions under restraint. There's barely the slightest twinge of grief, so he's doing a good job.

"With Antinomy?" For as artificial as Z-One's voice is, there's still a weight to that name coming from him. "What do you think you can do? The Synchro Summon that you're using led the world to destruction. Yusei Fudo, if there was no Synchro Summoning, the Moment that your father invented wouldn't have gone out of control. Humanity wouldn't have perished." Thank you Z-One, for making my boyfriend's own issues worse. I'm gonna kick your ass myself if you continue. "Moment and Synchro Summoning led to a future of destruction and despair. In order to change that future, I caused the Zero Reverse to destroy Moment, which was the source of the problem. My plan that used Aporia and Antinomy is now about to be fulfilled. By dropping the Ark Cradle on Neo Domino City, both the City and Moment will be destroyed."

"That's why you erased Bruno's memories and sent him to us. You think you had the right to do that? Because of you, Bruno was…" Yusei's voice cracks. I put my hand on his arm as his fist clenches. The barrier keeping his aura calm and collected is starting to crack. Yusei points right at Z-One, throwing my hand from his arm. "I'll stop the Ark Cradle! We live in this City! Bruno lived in this City! We won't let you destroy it!"

"Fine." Z-One answers. "Then, defeat me in a duel. I am linked to the Sun Gear that powers the Ark Cradle. If you don't defeat me in a duel, the Sun Gear won't stop."

"I'll take you on, Z-One!" Yusei makes an effort to move forward. I pull his arm back. His head whips towards me. I just focus my eyes on some trash on the ground.

"I won't let you." I mutter.

"Yuuka," is all he says in response.

"Wait, Yusei Fudo." Sparks of electricity fly from another body at the top of the trash pile next to us.

"Aporia!" Yusei exclaims. I squint at the body. That's definitely Aporia, looking very much worse for wear.

"You're alive?" Jack asks. Bruno died so the Yusei Gear could be stopped, so I assumed Aporia would have the same fate. Apparently not.

"Z-One, I'll be your opponent." Aporia says, ignoring us completely.

"Why?" Rua cries.

"We survived together in the apocalyptic future, so it's my duty as his friend." He explains. "By dueling you, I discovered an answer. Why did I continue to live when I suffered so much despair? I lost my parents and my girlfriend, so I was alone in the world." I feel a pang of sadness at Aporia's words. It strikes very close to my heart. I don't understand why. It might be my fear of losing Yusei, but I'm not sure. "Even though I had suffered three despairs, I kept walking. That's because... Even though I suffered despair, I didn't lose hope. That's right. I was searching for hope. That's why I was able to keep walking. Because I believed that within despair, there was still hope! I realised that when I dueled you."

I gasp. It almost feels like a fire has been lit inside of me. I know what I can do now. My answer to this isn't dueling Z-One. It's how I've learned to deal with everything that comes my way. My answer to the gangs.

"Z-One," Aporia continues, interrupting my thoughts, "I want you to remember. Remember the hope you had for Team 5D's!"

Z-One once had hope for us? Now that I think about it, it sounds right. What made him lose hope, I wonder.

"In order to complete the Circuit and make the Ark Cradle appear, you sent me to Neo Domino City." Aporia points straight at Z-One. "In order to perfect the Circuit, you sent Antinomy to help Team 5D's grow. But why did you erase Antinomy's memories? Because it would hinder your plans. They've evolved so much that they're now trying to stop the Ark Cradle. Maybe this evolution is what you were hoping for!"

"Z-One wanted us to evolve?" I hear Crow ask.

"Team 5D's may be able to evolve far enough to change humanity's future." Aporia continues talking right to Z-One. "Since that's what you thought, you sent Antinomy to Yusei. You entrusted your final hope to humanity's potential! So why are you trying to kill them when they've evolved and can now be trusted with the future?" Aporia waits for Z-One to answer. There's a stagnant pause. It's clear that Z-One won't answer him. "Z-One!"

There's more silence. My stomach feels uneasy. It's more than just anxiety, it's almost like concern? I feel  _concerned_  for  _Z-One_.

I want to Z-One to answer. Why has Z-One become this way? Where did he go wrong?

What did Z-One call me again? A  _ghost_? Is this all related?

"Hope is an illusion."

I feel hurt by Z-One's words. We must have hope for the future. If not, how else will we carry on? I convince myself that I will be okay, that after all this, Yusei will hold me in his arms again. I know that it might not happen. But I have to believe. That alone is what will get me through this.

"But you held onto hope. I want you to remember that!" Electric sparks fly from Aporia as his arm moves. He nearly falls but he catches himself. I look down at my feet. I've taken a step on impulse, moving closer to Aporia. "Let's battle, Z-One!"

"Aporia!" Rua cries. "But your body is…" He flinches as Aporia's gaze settles on him.

"Kid, I saw hope in you. I learned that your growth and your bond with Team 5D's were the hope I was looking for. As long as there is hope, I can fight!" Aporia meets my eyes and I freeze. His words had weight to them, as if they were meant for me. That couldn't be possible, I remind myself. As much as Z-One makes it seem like there's a connection between us, it simply isn't possible.

"But-"

"Let him battle," I say, "This is what he wants." I hesitate slightly. I know full well that this might end badly. Actually, might is an understatement. As powerful as Aporia's aura is, it's nothing compared to Z-One's aura. It's almost as if you put another mechanical aura on top of Yusei's, which was already powerful enough to begin with. Being this close to Z-One is making me queasy. There's no telling how powerful Z-One actually is.

"You really want to battle me?" Z-One asks, his voice keeping the same monotone. "Then, it can't be helped. I will bury you first, Aporia." A line on his mask glows. It reminds me of Yusei's marker for a split second before it fades away. The earth starts to tremble beneath my feet. A giant pole rises from the ground and starts glowing. It shoots up from the ground into air, releasing a shockwave. I press my feet into the ground as the force of it blows me back. The poles change shape in the air. The ends of them morph into something resemble a hand, while the opposite ends hover just away from Z-One.

"What's happening?"

I duck as stone tablets fly over our heads, going towards a smaller machine in front of Z-One. The outer stone chips away to reveal giant cards underneath. They fly into the machine, now resembling a full deck holder.

"Is that Z-One's deck? It's huge!"

"Watch, Team 5D's," Aporia warns, "This is Z-One's power!" He stands ready, staring right at Z-One. I take a deep breath, trying to quell the anxiety.

"Duel!"

"I go first! My turn!" Aporia claims the first turn, "I summon Grand Core(ATK:0). I activate the Spell Card, Chaos Bloom, from my hand. When there are no cards with the same name in my graveyard, one monster with 1000-or-fewer attack points is destroyed. I destroy Grand Core! When an effect destroys Grand Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Granel Infinity(ATK:0), Granel Top(ATK:500), Granel Attack(ATK:1300), Granel Guard(DEF:1000) and Granel Carrier(ATK:700) from my deck or hand! Combine, Machine Emperor Granel Infinity! Machine Emperor Granel Infinity's attack points are equal to my life points(ATK:4000). I set one card and ends my turn."

"He managed to summon Granel on the first turn! With 4000 attack points too!"

"Machine Emperor Granel Infinity… Aporia, you know how strong I am," Z-One says, "Do you really think you can beat me with that weak card?" Granel, a weak card? Just how strong is Z-One really? "My turn. I draw. I summon Time Angel(ATK:0)."

"He said that Granel was a weak card, but he summoned a monster with 0 attack points?" Rua asks.

"The monsters with 0 attack points often have strong effects," I answer, "Every monster has its uses, after all." Wait. I sounded just like Yusei. Does that mean Z-One really is…

"Time Angel attacks Machine Emperor Granel Infinity." Z-One's attack breaks my chain of thought.

"Attacking with 0 attack points means he'll take 4000 points of damage and lose!"

"Take it on, Granel!" Aporia exclaims.

"From my hand, I activate the trap, Foolish Decision." Z-One interrupts.

"What!?" I hear Jack cry. "A trap from your hand? Without any requirements?"

"I take 0 battle damage," Z-One continues, "When Time Angel is destroyed in battle, all monsters on the field return to their owner's hands."

"Since he doesn't have Grand Core, summoning it again will take five turns," Yusei explains, "It's the same as sealing it away."

"I activate the trap, Magician's Adage, from my hand." Another trap? Surely that can't be allowed? "For every card that was returned to the hand, you take 300 points of damage." The line on Z-One's mask glows. "Since it was five cards, you take 1500 points of damage." A beam of light shoots out, throwing Aporia back into a pile of junk. An explosion ruptures, throwing Aporia to the side, leaving him at 2500 life points.

"Aporia!" Rua runs towards him. Aporia stands upright, putting his hand out, stopping Rua.

"It's fine. This amount of damage won't stop me from fighting," Aporia turns to look at Rua, "You gave me hope!" Rua gasps and mutters his name. He takes a few steps back as Aporia moves back to face Z-One.

"Hope…" Z-One mutters as his giant mechanical hands move to set a card, "I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn!" Aporia declares, "I summon Wise Core(ATK:0). I activate the Spell Card, Chaos Blast, from my hand. I send three cards in my deck to the graveyard to destroy one Level 4-or-below monster. I destroy Wise Core. When an effect destroys Wise Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Special Summon Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity(ATK:0), Wisel Infinity Top(ATK:500), Wisel Infinity Attack(ATK:1200), Wisel Infinity Guard(DEF:1200) and Wisel Infinity Carrier(ATK:800)! Combine, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity(ATK:2500)! Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity attacks Z-One directly!"

"He can do it!" Rua exclaims.

"No," I say. Z-One cannot be stopped. He has become too powerful.

"I activate the trap, Empress's Staff, from my hand." Z-One interrupts.

"Another trap from his hand? That's not fair!" Crow cries.

"A trap card usually activates after it's set, but he can activate them from his hand." Yusei explains.

"We can't anticipate his strategy!" Jack grits his teeth. Whatever is giving Z-One his power is certainly something beyond our reach.

"When there are no monsters on my field, your monster's attack is negated and the Battle Phase ends. You also take 500 points of damage." A lightning strike leaves Aporia with 2000 life points.

"Aporia!" Rua exclaims as Aporia falls to the ground.

"Let's stop," Something resembling a sigh emits from Z-One, "There is no hope for the future. There is only despair. Aporia, you know that best. If we continue, it will only deepen your despair. You cannot defeat me."

I feel a pain in my heart. Why does Z-One feel this way? What could have possibly happened to him so that he has lost all hope?

"I'm not done," Aporia stands up on his feet, sparks flying from his android body, "The battle is only beginning. I set one card and end my turn."

"You still want to fight?" Z-One asks, "Then it can't be helped. I will show you true despair. My turn. I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistence. When there are no monsters on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute, and it will have 0 attack points. Appear, Metaion, the Timelord(ATK:0)." A monster resembling a metallic angel appears on the field. A chaotic face appears in the reflection on its armored chest plate.

"Metaion, the Timelord has appeared," Aporia explains, "It's your ace monster!"

"Metaion, the Timelord attacks Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity Infinity," Z-One points, "Metaion isn't destroyed, and battle damage becomes 0." Wisel Infinity counterattacks, throwing Metaion back onto Z-One's side of the field. "Since Metaion battled, after the end of the Battle Phase, all monsters on your field return to your hand, and you take 300 points for each one." Wisel Infinity's part separates before dissolving into white balls of light. They attack Aporia, send him flying onto the ground, leaving him with 500 life points.

"Since it can't be destroyed in battle, you can only destroy it with spells or traps." Crow explains, exhaling through his nose.

"No," Aporia says, still lying on the ground, "Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed."

"Then how!?" Aki gasps.

"Metaion, the Timelord is an omnipotent god," Z-One interrupts, "No one can defeat it."

"But I won't lose," Aporia gets back on his feet, "As long as I have hope! My turn! I summon Sky Core(ATK:0)!" He's going to summon Skiel next. Aporia is definitely up to something. He's summoned a different Machine Emperor every turn, only for that to go badly. "I activate the trap, Double Tribute. When I summon a monster, that monster and your monster are destroyed!" Red lightning strikes a green barrier around Metaion, but destroys Sky Core.

"Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed," Z-One explains, "So your goal is to destroy Sky Core."

"When an effect destroys Sky Core, from my deck, hand or graveyard, I can Summon Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity(ATK:0), Skiel Top(ATK:600), Skiel Attack(ATK:1000), Skiel Guard(DEF:300) and Skiel Carrier(ATK:400)! Combine, Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity!" Aporia declares, "Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's attack and defense points are equal to the sum of its parts."

"He has successfully summoned Machine Emperors for three consecutive turns," Aki says, "It's impressive how masterfully he controls the Machine Emperors."

"But they can't destroy Metaion," I reply, "I wonder what he's planning."

"You still don't understand that summoning a Machine Emperor only deepens your despair." Something resembling a sigh emits from Z-One. I actually kind of… agree with Z-One. Aporia is using the very monsters that caused him despair.

"I won't despair because Team 5D's gave me hope," Aporia throws his arms out, "I activate the trap, High Rate Draw! All my monsters are destroyed, and I draw a card for every two destroyed monsters!" Skiel is destroyed in an instant. How could Aporia use the monsters that hurt him? How could he look at them, knowing they destroyed the world? If I were in his place, the very sight of them would make me  _sick_. "Five cards formed Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity. Therefore, I draw two cards. I draw! I activate the spell, Future Destruction, from my hand. For every card in my hand, I send a card in my deck to the graveyard."

"What? Send a card to the grave for every card in his hand?" Jack echoes.

"How many cards are in Aporia's hand right now?" Rua asks, turning to look at Yusei.

"Twelve cards," Yusei answers after a beat of silence, "And there are also twelve cards in his deck."

"Only twelve? That means his deck is empty!" Rua exclaims.

"I'm going to destroy my deck!" Aporia shouts before turning to look at us, "Watch, Team 5D's. This is the hope you gave me."

"Why are you doing this?" Rua cries, "You're supposed to destroy your opponent's deck, right?"

"Yes," Aki answers, "If your opponent's deck has no cards, he can no longer draw. That's deck destruction."

"Why would he destroy his own deck?"

"It's an unthinkable strategy," Yusei starts, "But Aporia must be aiming for something. If Aporia intended to destroy his own deck from the start, then his battle strategy makes sense."

"What do you mean?" Rua keeps asking questions, I imagine his brain is working a mile a minute. Poor kid, he shouldn't have to deal with all this. He should really be far away, trying to escape this.

"Machine Emperors are Special Summoned from the deck in five parts. It's an excellent monster if you want to decrease the cards in your deck," Aki explains, "Aporia used Metaion, the Timelord's effect to return his Machine Emperors to his hand, increasing the number of cards i his hand. By doing so, he could use Future Destruction's effect to instantly decrease the number of cards in his deck."

"Aporia knew the Machine Emperors wouldn't work against Metaion, but that's why he still summoned Machine Emperor Granel Infinity and Wisel Infinity." Sherry chimes in. "But if he destroys his own deck and can no longer draw, he loses the duel. What's he planning to do with so much risk?"

"He's out of cards." Ruka says as Aporia discards his last card from his deck.

"Z-One, I'll show you a miracle!" Aporia points right a Z-One as he makes his declaration. "As long as there's hope, I can change the future! I activate the Spell Card, Afterglow!"

"Afterglow?" Z-One echoes.

"After it activates, this card is shuffled into my deck," Aporia explains, "If I draw Afterglow next turn, you take 4000 points of damage."

"I get it!" Rua exclaims. "Right now, Afterglow is the only card in Aporia's deck. Even if he shuffles his deck, he's guaranteed to draw Afterglow next turn."

"And its effect will immediately drop your points to 0." Aporia continues.

"And Aporia wins!" Rua cheers.

"But Aporia's field is empty," Sherry interjects, "If Z-One summons monster before Aporia's next turn, Aporia won't survive since he only has 500 life points left."

"Due to Metaion, the Timelord's effect, you can't summon a monster next turn." Something resembling a smile appears on Aporia's face. "And you can't defeat me with Metaion's 0 attack points."

"That means Aporia will definitely have another turn!" Ruka gasps. "And when he draws Afterglow, its effect will activate! Aporia is going to win!"

"Aporia knew Metaion couldn't be destroyed, so this was his goal from the start." Crow grins. "Only Aporia can duel like this because he knows Z-One's cards!"

"He emptied his deck to do this." Jack says. "This is truly a last stand!"

Everyone is so sure of Aporia's victory. I suppose it looks like a certainty now. But still, my instinct is telling me otherwise. Z-One could still flip the situation, and I think that he's going to. I shudder, looking towards Z-One. I could have sworn he was just looking at me. No. Why would Z-One even care to look at me?

"I end my turn!" Aporia declares. "When I have more than six cards in my hand during the End Phase, I discard additional cards to the graveyard. I discard five cards from my hand."

"I see," Z-One responds, "This is the strategy you're using against me."

"Z-One, I want you to remember." Aporia's voice starts to raise. "Since Yusei Fudo and Team 5D's have fully evolved, shouldn't we trust them? They are a miraculous team!"

"And the Spell Card, Afterglow, represents the hope that Team 5D's gave you?" Something resembling a cough emits from Z-One. "That means there truly is no hope for this world."

"What?" Aporia mutters.

"My turn," Z-One continues, "Metaion, the Timelord returns to my deck during my Standby Phase."

"Return to the deck during the Standby Phase?" Crow echoes.

"Now that Metaion's effect is gone, Z-One can summon a monster." Aki mumbles, holding her hand to her mouth.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistance's effect," Z-One declares, "When there are no monsters on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute. But due to Nonexistence's effect, the monster's attack points become 0."

"Why would he activate that effect? If he summons a monster with at least 500 attack points, he wins." Ruka begins to speak, only to freeze as Z-One's gaze turns to us.

"I chose a monster with 0 attack points to leave a sliver of hope for Aporia." He explains in response.

"Leave me hope?" Aporia questions.

"I summon a second Timelord." Z-One keeps going, his giant mechanical arm beginning to move again.

"A second Timelord? Metaion isn't the only Timelord?"

"Timelords are born from nothingness, infinity and infinite light to rule life." Z-One explains. "The ten gods interact to become the omnipotent god. Metaion, the Timelord is only one of them."

"What?" Yusei mutters. "There are ten as strong as Metaion?"

"Appear, Lazion, the Timelord(ATK:0)." A giant card passes through the giant ring on Z-One's field, it appears in a burst of orange light. It resembles Metaion, definitely confirming that it is another Timelord. Its body looks like a sword, adorning with the same chestplate as Metaion. An older, wiser face is appearing in the reflection. "Timelords can't be destroyed in battle, nor by spells, traps or monster effects."

"This monsters also negates destruction!" Crow exclaims.

"Aporia, I'll make you remember that hope is nothing but an illusion." Z-One's mechanical hands move to point at Aporia. "Lazion, the Timelord attacks you directly."

"A monster with 0 attack points attacking directly?"

"When it attacks, all monsters on your field and the cards in your graveyard are shuffled into your deck." Z-One explains.

"What?" Aporia shouts.

"He has no monsters on his field, but he has 33 cards in the graveyard." Yusei interjects. My head whips around to look at him, my hair flying to my face. Z-One is going to win. There is no way Aporia could win now.

"Go, Lazion." Z-One points upwards as cards start moving into Aporia's deck. "When you draw, Lazion's effect deals you 1000 points of damage."

"1000 points?" Rua echoes.

"I end my turn," Z-One declares, "There are now 34 cards in your deck. If you draw Afterglow on your next turn, I will take 4000 points of damage and lose. But if you draw any other card, Lazion, the Timelord's effect activates. Since you only have 500 life points, you'll lose. Now, see for yourself if hope truly exists. What's wrong? Didn't you say that miracles can happen as long as there's hope?"

"Aporia…" I mutter. I wanted to believe that he could win, I  _did_. But now, it's hopeless. A one in thirty four chance. I don't think the universe has been too generous to me before now, I find it hard to believe that it would suddenly change its mind.

"Everything in life has a small probability of success. That's why humans bet on that probability. I used to be like that. However, reality is cruel." A younger, more naive Z-One must have sounded like Yusei. Insisting that, because there's a small chance of success, that we must try.

"That's not true!" Aporia shouts back. "As long as there's hope, miracles will always occur. And I will grab that hope with my own hands. That's what I learned from Team 5D's!"

Aporia pauses and stands there, his hand resting on his deck. I press my hands together, almost like a prayer. I call out to whatever is out there, the Crimson Dragon,  _anything_. Please let him win.

"I will draw Afterglow! My turn!"

"Did he draw it?" I hear Jack ask.

"Machine Emperor Granel Infinity…" Aporia answers.

"No…" Rua mutters. My hands fly up to my face.

"A miracle didn't occur." Z-One starts speaking. "This is reality. Aporia, you sufficiently fulfilled your role. Thanks to you, the Ark Cradle appeared in this world. Your role is over. Rest in peace." A strangled noise leaves Aporia's mouth. He was his friend. Z-One is killing his  _friend_. My hands have started shaking again. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Aporia will die. "Lazion, the Timelord's effect activates. When you draw, you take 1000 points of damage."

A plume of fire materialises around Aporia. My hands move over my eyes, my fingers spread just enough that I can see. I see Aporia's hand reach for his  _friend_.

"Z-One…" Aporia collapses on the spot. My legs start moving. My heart is beating a mile per minute. My chest is heaving. I don't know why Aporia has made me feel this way? He tried to kill us what I imagine is yesterday at this point.

Something inside me is reacting to his words. Hope is not lost. I can change Z-One's mind. We must believe in the very small chance that things will be okay. If not, we lose ourselves to our own despair. I must continue. I must save Yusei.

"Aporia!" Rua kneels down beside him, having reached him first. I take a spot next to him. My hand grazes Aporia's arm. I'm almost repelled by how deathly cold it was, but I stop myself.

"I'm sorry," Aporia speaks with a much quieter voice, "I wasn't able to defeat Z-One. You gave me hope, but I couldn't live up to it."

"That's not true," I answer, "You lived up to it! You gave us hope, Aporia."

"Gave you hope?" He echoes.

"Yeah." I continue. "It's true that the Timelords are invincible monsters that can't be destroyed. Now we know their effects, and that there are ten of them. But that's not all." Aporia's eyes widen very slightly. "You've proved to us that things can change, and people can too. Hope is not lost for Z-One. We can change his mind too. We can stop this. That's the hope you gave us!"

"The hope I gave you…"

"As long as there's that hope, we can fight!" I nod.

"I see," Aporia's eyes stare at the ceiling above us, "There's now hope for the future." His hands move to the remain of his duel disk at his side. It glows bright yellow before levitating. It shoots over to Yusei's D-Wheel, combining with it, causing the entire thing to burn blue.

"What?" My eyes return back to Aporia for a split second.

"Guide them." He mutters. "You're the only one who can, Yuuka Hattori." I open my mouth to ask what he meant. My gaze is whipped back to Yusei's D-Wheel which has spread giant red wings made of light. They flap for a few seconds before retreating.

"Yusei's D-Wheel has wings!" Rua exclaims.

"What just happened?" I ask again. As I turn to look at Aporia, his hand falls, smacking on the ground. The realisation hits me when I see that his eyes are closed. "Aporia…"

"Aporia!" I hear Rua cry. He repeats his name as sobs rack his body. I pull him close, trying not to cry myself. Everything is completely silent except for Rua's sobs. I rub his back in an attempt to calm down. He jolts from my arms suddenly, standing up again.

"Why!?" Rua shouts at Z-One. There are tears still in his eyes. He raises a clenched fist as he shakes through the unshed tears. "You didn't have to go this far! Aporia was your friend!"

"Friend?" Z-One repeats, "You seem to misunderstand. It had his memories, but that Aporia was a copy that I created. You influenced him and Antinomy too much because they spent too much time with you."

"Z-One!" Yusei's voice raises far beyond his normal tone. "Bruno and Aporia thought you were their true friend! And you're going to abandon them by calling them copies? Let's battle, Z-One!"

"No!" I shout, pushing myself back onto my feet. "I won't let you, Yusei. This fight is mine. Z-One-" I point right at him floating up above us, "I will be the one to fight you, not Yusei. You clearly have some form of shit with me, that I don't know about. So, come on! I will be your opponent."

Most of people call out my name in some form of shock. I ignore them. I feel Yusei's hand grab my arm, but I shake him off. I just stand there, staring at Z-One. I feel my aura flare a little. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

"No." Z-One answers. "You have no right to be here in this plane of existence, Yuuka Hattori. I will not answer to a misguided ghost. Yusei Fudo will be my opponent."

"What does that mean?  _Misguided ghost_?" I raise my voice even more.

"You already know the answer," is all he says is response. "There's very little time left. Yusei Fudo, this will be the final duel." Z-One directs his attention to Yusei. The shift in attention feels very jarring. I've lost the battle, and maybe the war. Z-One may never listen to me. All I can do is hope that Yusei will get through to him. Lines in the ceiling start glowing with Moment, shooting up the top of centre of the dome-shaped ceiling, joining in a circle. The roof begins to slowly vanish, starting in the centre.

"The roof is opening!"

Something starts to appear. There's something in the middle of a star shape, with the edges extending out of sight.

"There's something in the sky."

"That's Neo Domino City!"

A gasp racks my body. I suddenly feel very ill, knowing that I'm this high up and  _upside down._

"I see!" Jack exclaims. "The Ark Cradle itself has its own gravity!"

"It's already come this close." Yusei mutters beside me. Moment starts leaking from the ground, shooting light upwards- well, downwards to the City. Projections start appearing in the sky.

"I am Z-One," He states plainly, "The Ark Cradle will soon destroy Neo Domino City, and a new future will begin. You will be living witnesses. The sky will be the duel field. Come, Yusei Fudo. Aporia gave his power to that D-Wheel."

"If we don't defeat Z-One, we can't stop the Ark Cradle. Neo Domino City will be destroyed." Aki says somewhere behind me, so I turn to look at everyone else.

"If we don't defeat him, we can't win our future!" Crow pumps his fist.

"Yusei," Jack hands Red Daemon's Dragon to Yusei, "take this. My thoughts are with you. Beat Z-One! Win for our future!"

"Yusei!" Crow holds up Black Feather Dragon, "Don't forget my card."

"And mine." Aki presents Black Rose Dragon to Yusei, he takes Crow's card too.

"Use ours, too!" The twins hand Yusei Ancient Fairy Dragon, Power Tool Dragon and Rua's new card, Life Stream Dragon.

"Jack, Ruka, Rua, Aki, Crow." Yusei looks around at the rest of the Signers. "Thank you." Everyone's eyes turn to me. I take a deep breath. I know what they're expecting of me. I reach down to my deck holder.

"Yusei." I mutter, taking my Trishula card out. "You lent me Stardust once, so I suppose it's only fair."

"Thank you, Yuuka." He responds, his hand moves out to take the card. "I know what that card means to you." My eyes widen, retracting the card slightly. Yusei's right. He blinks at me, confused and wide eyed. This card means alot to me. Trishula is my go-to card when something goes wrong and I need to materialise a monster. Giving Trishula to Yusei means that I'm trusting him completely, saying that I won't need it. Do I trust him? Can I trust him? My hands start shaking.

"Yeah," I hand the card to him on impulse.

"Your thoughts are with me," Yusei turns to everyone else, "I will win for our future!" We fistbump as Team 5D's for the last time. Everyone walks Yusei to his D-Wheel and wish him the best. I stand a few steps away. This is happening, I remind myself. I've given Yusei Trishula, my only sure bet of saving him if something goes wrong. He's facing Z-One, something that will almost definitely end with him dying regardless of the outcome. I am helpless. I can't do anything anymore.

"Yuuka." Yusei calls out to me, everyone moves slightly so that I have a clear path to him. I cautiously step forward to meet him. Everyone steps further back, letting us have a moment together. "Don't worry." His hands cup my face. "Everything's going to be okay. We're going to stop this."

"I don't care about stopping the Ark Cradle." I manage to choke out, tears burning in my eyes. Yusei's grip loosens slightly as confusion seeps into his face. "I just want you to be safe. And I've fucked that up."

"Listen to me." Yusei's thumb brushes back the hair falling into my face. "No matter what happens, please be happy. I want you to live a long, happy life regardless of what the outcome of this duel is. Even if I don't make it, find someone else. Please." He pleads. "Just be happy, for my sake- no, for  _your_  sake."

"You're asking me to find someone else? Yusei.  _I can't live without you._ " I say the words slowly so they imprint themselves in Yusei's head. "If you die, I'm gonna throw myself into the Sound and you know that. Please, I'm begging you." Tears have started freely flowing down my face. "Please make it out alive. Don't sacrifice yourself if you don't have to. We can replace a City, but I can't replace you."

"Yuuka." His eyes are wide. I can almost see my words ringing in his ears. I just wish I could know what he's thinking. Have I changed his mind? Will he put his martyr issues aside and think about  _us_ for once? I don't want to say to convince him. So I kiss him. This could very well be our last kiss. It feels like it. There's a forcefulness that's never been there before. Like he's the only thing keeping me alive, and there's no way that I'm letting go. But I do. We're both panting slightly. He's a little flushed and wide eyed.

"I love you." I say, getting my breathing back to normal.

"I love you too." He meets my eyes, and I swear they were the most honest words the man has ever spoken. Like everything he's ever said has been a lie until now. "I promise you that we'll make it out alive."

"Good luck." I say, before taking a deep breath.

"Thank you." Yusei sits down on his D-Wheel and puts his helmet on.

"Yusei!" Jack calls out as everyone comes back up to us.

"We're counting on you!" Crow says, giving him a thumbs up.

"We believe in you." Aki pulls me into something of a side hug. She goes to meet my eyes, but I drop my gaze to the floor.

"Do your best!" The twins cheer slightly out of sync.

Yusei lowers the visor of his helmet and revs the engine. I feel my heart rise up into my throat. I think Yusei sees that. He grabs my left hand and kisses it. No, he's kissing my ring finger, I realise.

"I promise you that I'll make it out alive."

Yusei revs the engine for the final time and takes off. Yusei always keeps his word. I know this, but still. I can't help but feel like Yusei will break this promise.


	77. Embrace the Dark

It's a sight to behold, really. Seeing Yusei's D-Wheel take flight using wings made of purely red light, magically gifted by the late Aporia. It's better not to ask questions, I've learned. Falling into a pit of Moment and waking up as, basically, a zombie hell bent on revenge, or flying D-Wheels. They don't hold up under scrutiny, and the less you ask, the better.

"Oh gods, he's going to die." I mutter under my breath as I pace in circles. "I should have listened to the other me. Why did I give him Trishula? I could used Trishula to stop him from being an idiot, but  _no_. I just  _had_  to panic and give it to him."

"Shut up." Jack catches my arm as I walk passed him. He takes both of my arms, pinning them at my side. "There's nothing you can do now. If you keep pacing, you'll walk off the Ark Cradle and die. So, shut up and watch the duel."

"Jack!" Aki takes my arm, pulling me closer to her. She wraps her arms around me in a side hug.

"Come on now, just calm down. Yusei's got this." Crow says, doing the same which effectively pins me between the two of them. It's stopped my pacing at least. Too bad about my rampant anxiety.

"Yusei Fudo," Z-One begins, "you may think that you've opened the future with your own power, but you were always travelling on the path that I created. I'm like a god to you now." Z-One must be using something to project their voices, as I can hear him quite clearly.

"You're my god?" Yusei mutters in response, "I hardly think so."

"I caused the Zero Reverse to change the future," he continues, "And that greatly changed your lives. You became orphans and lived in the Satellite. You entered the WRGP and made huge, new strides. But that victory was only a step to call forth the Ark Cradle."

"Is he saying that he has controlled our entire lives?" Crow takes his arm off me to clench his fist, shaking up in the direction of Z-One.

"Do you understand that I'm your god?" Z-One booms with the authority of a god that he claims to be. "Since your god has chosen a path of destruction, you can't oppose it."

"Even if you did lay the path that we travelled, how we felt is still real!" Yusei shouts in response. Even though I can see his red D-Wheel flying in the sky, he still feels so far away. This could be how I remember Yusei. The thought suddenly sets in. I feel Aki grip me tighter. "So even if my opponent is a god, I will overcome you! I will open the future with my own hands! Here I go, Z-One!"

"Duel!" Z-One and Yusei chant together.

"I will go first. Witness the power of a god. My turn," Z-One declares, "I Special Summon Time Maiden(ATK:0). I can Special Summon it when there are no cards on my field. When I Tribute Summon a Fairy-Type Monster, this card counts as two monsters. I tribute Time Maiden to summon Metaion, the Timelord(ATK:0)."

"He already summoned a Timelord!" Jack exclaims.

"There it is..." I mutter under my breath. This is going to be a long duel, I can feel it. This isn't good for my, already, crippling anxiety.

"Now," Z-One cuts over my thoughts, "it's your turn. If you really have the power to change the future, then defeat me."

"I can't destroy a Timelord," Yusei says, "And if my monster battles Metaion, Metaion's effect returns the summoned monster to my hand, and I take damage. Z-One, for the future of Neo Domino City, I will win this duel and stop Ark Cradle! My turn!" Yusei begins his first turn. "I can Special Summon this card when you're the only one who has monsters. I Special Summon Double Delta Warrior(ATK:0)! I discard two cards from my hand to Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Big Eater(ATK:800)! When I have a Tuner, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard(ATK:800)! Next, I summon Debris Dragon(ATK:1000)! When Debris Dragon is summoned, I can negate the effects of a monster in my graveyard with 500 or fewer attack points and Special Summon it! I Special Summon Clear Effector from my graveyard with 0 attack points(ATK:0)!"

"Incredible." Rua's mouth hangs open in awe. "He summoned five monsters with a one turn combo."

"Level 2 Big Eater tunes Level 6 Double Delta Warrior! Everyone gave me their power. I will use the power of our bond known as Synchro!"

"Go, Yusei! This is our bond!" Crow says, holding up his glowing Signer mark. He lets go of me again, as he's too wrapped up in the blinding red light of his mark.

"Darkened gales, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Black Feather Dragon!" I swear Crow's mouth moves along as Yusei repeats his summon chant. "Take flight, Black Feather Dragon(ATK:2800)!"

"Then, Level 4 Debris Dragon tunes Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog and Level 2 Clear Effector!" Jack's mark suddenly lights up. I look back at Yusei in the sky through Z-One's projections. He really is something.

"Yusei, use my rugged soul!" Jack shouts up in the general direction of Yusei.

"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Two Synchros in one turn, and both Level 8 at that. Jack and Crow have moved closer together, pumping their fists over Yusei summoning their monsters.

"Like I thought, the Crimson Dragon's minions appeared. But no matter how many powerful Synchro Monsters you summon, the situation doesn't change." Z-One finally comments.

"Metaion, the Timelord can't be destroyed in battle, and he doesn't take damage. And if it battles, every monster it battles returns to the hand." Aki explains. "And Yusei takes 300 points of damage for every monster. Even if Yusei attacks Metaion, that effect won't let him deal damage, and he also takes damage himself."

"What is he going to do?" Jack asks. "If my Red Daemon's Dragon doesn't attack, its effect destroys all his other monsters during the End Phase."

"If he doesn't battle, then my precious Black Feather Dragon will go to waste." Crow tuts at the thought.

"That must mean…" Jack and Crow give each other a knowing look. "He has a plan!"

"As long as I have Metaion, the Timelord, no matter how powerful your Synchro Monster, it's pointless to battle against it." Something resembling a chuckle emits from Z-One. Having a plan isn't good enough against Z-One. I know that.

How do I know that actually?

I've seen Z-One in action, but that doesn't make it a certainty. That thought adds to my crippling anxiety, so I put it on the pile of things to think about at two in the morning when I can't sleep.

"You think I don't know that?" There's a hint of pride in Yusei's voice. There's definitely a plan. There's always a plan when it comes to Yusei. "Besides, since I used Double Delta Warrior as Synchro Material, I'm not allowed to battle this turn. And when a Synchro Monster uses Clear Effector as Synchro Material, its effects are negated. So, Red Daemon's Dragon's effects are negated. That means even if I don't battle this turn, Black Feather Dragon remains on my field."

"Well done, Yusei!" Crow shouts up at him, as if he can hear him, quite happy at the thought of his dragon staying on the field.

"When Clear Effector is used to Synchro Summon, I draw one card from my deck! I set two cards and end my turn."

"Yusei, you really couldn't attack me?" Z-One asks with a strange tone to his voice.

"What?" Yusei mutters.

"I think you didn't want to attack me from the start."

"What does that mean?"

"My turn," Z-One continues the duel regardless. "Metaion, the Timelord returns to my deck during my Standby Phase. Yusei Fudo, this is what you were aiming for. I bet you think you know the Timelords' characteristics. That like Metaion, you think all Timelords return to the deck during the Standby Phase."

"Yeah, exactly!" Yusei answers.

"You are correct."

"Why are you revealing the Timelords' effects to me?" Yusei has a point. Z-One must not think Yusei is a threat. While I'd want to disagree, I think about all of the predictions of Yusei's death and I shut up.

"Because even if I reveal it, I have nothing to fear."

"What?"

"You're not going to attack," Z-One says, "You'll keep waiting for the summoned Timelords to return to my deck. You're hoping that there will be a turn when I don't have a Timelord in my hand. If that happens, my field will be empty. That's what you're aiming for. Do you think you can survive that many turns until that happens?"

"That's right." Yusei responds with absolute certainty. "And when it happens, I will attack you because you'll be defenseless!"

"Just like you, I used to believe in possibilities. That's why I tested various methods for saving this world. But they all failed and didn't work. That is destiny."

"I'm different than you!" Yusei shouts back.

"Oh?" is all Z-One says.

I freeze slightly. Aki, who has since let go of me, turns to look at me. His tone of voice… Z-One seems to be implying that everything isn't as it seems. He couldn't possibly mean  _that_. Could he?

"No matter how many turns I have to wait, I won't give up as long as I have a chance!" Yusei declares, ignoring the possible hidden meaning behind Z-One's words. Or I just imagining things? Z-One couldn't possibly be Yusei, that's silly. Yusei would never try to destroy an entire City. At least the Yusei that  _I_  know. "In order to open the future with my own hands, I'll believe in the tiniest possibilities!"

"Believe in what's possible? How foolish." Z-One emits something like a scoff. "Didn't you learn anything from Aporia's defeat?" Yusei barely has enough time to mutter a simple  _what_ , before Z-One continues. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Nonexistence. When there's no monster on my field, I can summon a Level 10-or-above monster without tribute. However, that monster's attack points become 0. I summon Lazion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Lazion, the Timelord can't be destroyed, and all battle damage becomes 0. And when it battles, all monsters on your field and cards in your graveyard are shuffled into your deck. And when you draw, you take 1000 points of damage."

"That's the Timelord that defeated Aporia." I hear spoken under breath, but I'm not paying enough attention to it that I recognise who's saying it.

"Yusei Fudo, you don't have even the tiniest hope. Kneel before the power of a god. Lazion, the Timelord attacks Red Daemon's Dragon."

"I flip over my trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei interrupts as Lazion moves to attack. "This card activates when you attack! It negates your monster's attack! After it activates, this card is once again set!"

"Of course, if you negate the battle itself, then that effect doesn't activate!"

"Z-One, no matter how many times you attack, I won't fall!" Yusei shouts, the projections in the sky focus on his face. "We will open our destiny with our own hands!"

"Do you really think that you can win by just defending? I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn!" Yusei declares as he draws a card.

"I activate Lazion, the Timelord's effect. When you draw during the Draw Phase, you take 1000 points of damage." A plume of flames knock Yusei, sending him spiralling. My feet move forward as if I could catch him, but Aki holds my arm back. He's spinning out, flying in front of us.

"Yusei!" I call out as I hopelessly stand, watching him. He manages to get on track before he hits a building. The tail of flames behind his D-Wheel brushes off the concrete.

"I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton!" Yusei continues as if nothing has happened. "When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck and send one card in my hand to the graveyard! I draw! Due to Angel Baton's effect, I send Regen Warrior to the graveyard! When Regen Warrior is sent from my hand to the graveyard, it's Special Summoned! Return, Regen Warrior(ATK:0)! I summon the Tuner Monster, Junk Synchron(ATK:1300)! Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 4 Regen Warrior!" Aki's arm, the one she's still holding onto me with, starts to glow.

"Yusei, let's fight together." She mutters, holding her arm close to her chest. I close my eyes to stop the blinding light from hurting my eyes.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world." Yusei begins the summon chant. Aki's lips move ever so slightly in tandem. I almost feel  _entranced_. There's such a link between the Signers. Almost like they're all on the same neural network. I can't help but wonder what that's like. "Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon(ATK:2400)!"

"Incredible," I mutter. Aki snaps out of her little trance and stares right back at me. I shake my head, turning my focus back to the duel. "Yusei is." I see Aki nod from the corner of my vision.

"Go, Black Rose Gale!"

"Why is he destroying all his own monsters?" Aki turns to me and asks. She knows her own strategy the best, but this doesn't line up with it. In all fairness, she knows how to rock it.

"Lazion, the Timelord isn't destroyed," Z-One states, "But all your monsters and their protector, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow are gone. Your situation is getting worse."

"Are you sure about that?" Yusei has such a confident tone to his voice that in any other situation, I'm sure that I would be at least a little bit flustered.

"What?"

"Don't underestimate the power of our Synchro Monsters!" Yusei continues, snapping me out of a thought that I never imagined having today. "I flip over my trap card! Synchro Barrier Force! This card negates an effect that would destroy cards on the field!" The card begins to glow and absorbs all of the wind and petals caused by Black Rose Dragon. "And for every Synchro Monster on my field, you take 500 points of damage! Black Feather Dragon, Red Daemon's Dragon and Black Rose Dragon are on my field. My friends gave me these three Synchro Monsters! This is the power of the bond with my friends! Take 1500 points of damage, Z-One!" The ball of absorbed energy flies towards Z-One, sending him flying. He bounces off one hanging skyscraper into another skyscraper. I flinch and close my eyes. "I end my turn."

"Yeah!" Crow cheers. "He finally dealt damage!"

"Yusei was able to deal damage because he believes in Synchro Monsters and our bond."

"Everyone, Yusei will definitely win, right?"

I open my eyes and stare at the projections in the sky, waiting to Z-One to reappear. He finally appears, moving slowly from a group of particularly low-hanging buildings.

" _Saviour?_ " He says. Just from that, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. "Yusei Fudo, you gave the people hope many times before."

"What do you mean?" Yusei asks, sounding as confused as I feel.

"In my future, your heroic tale was... _inspiring_." The projections in the sky focus on Z-One's mask. It's starting to chip from the damage he just took. Tiny shards start falling away at the cracks. There's a tease of dark, wrinkled skin underneath.

"My heroic tale?" Yusei echoes.

The cracks in the mask grow, joining together. Piece by piece, the left side of the mask falls away. I spot the yellow of a marker standing out against the dark skin.

No.

That can't be right.

"You're…"

"It's Yusei." I mutter. His eye. The same unmistakable shade of cobalt blue that I look at everyday. The exact tint of the skin. The limp black hair falling into his face.

There's no denying it.

Z-One is Yusei.

"Z-One, who are you?" Yusei's voice shakes, entirely unsure what to make of this.

"Hm, since you've seen my face, I should answer. Yusei Fudo, I am your future self."

_No._

"What?"

It's impossible. Yusei would never… He's wrong. He's lying.

"In the future, humanity's yearning for evolution was insatiable, causing Moment to go out of control." Z-One explains. "That was the beginning of everything. Moment is an engine that reads people's desires. Evolution led to evil ideas, such as temptation and greed, taking over people's hearts, so Moment went out of control. It infected the worldwide network with a certain idea. That if nothing changes, the world will be destroyed. Humans are the cause, so they must be eliminated. In order to save that world from destruction, I led the people. You  _are_  me."

The mask. The shape of Yusei's helmet compared to Z-One's machine body. The reason why Z-One seems to know who I am. Their auras. Everything.

"This can't be right!"

"Yuuka, he can't be telling the truth." Jack turns to me, his brow completely furrowed. "You can read his aura, tell us he's a phony."

"No." I answer. I feel strange. My face is starting to heat up as well as my chest. "Their auras are the same. I knew that the first second I saw him in person. That can only mean one thing. Z-One  _is_ Yusei"

"Does that mean Yusei himself has come to destroy Neo Domino City?" Rua asks.

"No way!"

"You're saying that you're me? That's impossible."

Impossible.

"What I said was the truth. So, no matter what strategy you try, I already know it like the palm of my hand."

I shake my head as dark spots cloud my vision. My hands fly to my temples in an attempt to stop the searing pain.

I see the other version of Yusei sitting in the kitchen, looking over a Neo Domino that almost identical to ours. His longer hair in the back, in an oversized white t-shirt. I see him congratulating me after a duel. I see him reaching out for me, as fire consumes everything.

I see Aki with her bangs intact. Jack, Crow, Rua, Ruka. They're there. Not quite the same but they're still  _them_.

I hear screams. I'm not sure if I'm actually hearing them, or if they're mine. I try to focus on the ground. I think I'm hunching over in an attempt to dull the pain in my head. I feel hands on my back, and muffled voices trying to calm me.

My hair starts growing at a rapid rate. It starts curling before my own eyes as it extends far past what it should be. My chest, no,  _every_  part of me feels on fire. The throbbing in my head is being overbearing. I try to move my hands in order to brace myself in case I faint again, but my hands are almost bound to my temples.

I blink to try and figure out if I'm in some trippy nightmare or not. I see Machine Emperor Granel fire an attack at me. I hear Yusei scream my name and I look up. My legs give out, and I nearly collapse on the floor. The concrete of the ground nearly cuts my hand, but my knee pads manage to take most of the fall.

"Yuuka..." I hear my name being called. My eyes go to my friends, but they're not looking at me. I follow their eyes, landing just a small distance in front of me. An almost spluttering sound comes from my mouth. My hand moves to wipe the small stream of blood coming from my nose on my sleeve.

The other Yuuka stands in front of me. No. She's not really there. She's vaguely see through, like a ghost.

"Yuuka, what's going on?" Crow's eyes move between me and the other Yuuka. I raise my hand to move my hair from my face. My hand jolt back when I feel the extra weight. My hair tumbles down to past my waist. What? I pinch the back of my hand and I wince at the slight pain.  _This is real._  What is happening?

"Well, that's a difficult question." The other Yuuka answers. I feel everyone's eyes shift between her and me. I take a good look at her. Her long, sandy blonde hair falls past her waist. She's dressed head to toe in black, from her turtleneck to her skinny boots and knee-high boots. I notice the burn marks on her neck peeking past the high neckline. Her face looks like it has a few years over mine, maybe mid twenties.

If Z-One is really Yusei from the future, then she must be…

"I'm sorry that it's gotten this far." The other Yuuka stares right back at me. Impossible. Her eyes are wide, realising that I've figured out who she is. "I owe you an explanation for all of this."


	78. Misguided Ghosts

"Why are there two Yuukas?" I hear Jack ask.

"Wait," Raiden cuts in. "You can see her too?"

I'm too shocked to even move, yet alone speak. The other Yuuka that appeared in the Spirit World, and all of my dreams and visions is  _here_ , right in front of me. I feel bile rising in my throat, I'm barely able to contain it before it splutters out of my mouth. Z-One, the strange man in the machine is really Yusei from the future. This Yuuka wanted to stop him, and they clearly know each other by the way they talk. That means that I…

"Yuuka, what's going on?" Aki's eyes are firmly settled on me, and not the illusion of the other me.

"Wait, if Z-One is the future Yusei, does that mean you're… the future Yuuka?" Rua asks, stepping forward slightly.

"Calling us the future versions is a little inaccurate." The other Yuuka begins to speak. Her brow furrows as she carefully chooses her words. "We're older than you are now, which I suppose makes us that. But our lives were not like yours."

"You never lived through the Zero Reverse, it never happened in your lifetime." I say slowly, trying to get the words out. Those were her memories that I was experiencing in my dreams.

"No Zero Reverse?" Crow echoes, probably imagining what that would be like.

"Yes, we're more like alternate versions of each other if you cared for specifics." She sighs and brushes her fingers through her hair that falls past her waist. My hand goes up to my hair, which now falls to the same length. It must be a side effect of her appearing. She nods at me. I blink slowly. Can she hear my thoughts? She says that she is an future-alternate version of me, whatever, but who is she really? Could Yusei and I really becoming Z-One and her if we were given the chance?

"Why are you here?" I mutter.

"To help you stop Z-One." She answers. "I attached myself to your soul into an attempt to get you to stop this. That didn't go as planned." I go to say something, but words fail me. "I thought I could guide you. I gave you some of my memories in your dreams, I sent you warnings. But that wasn't enough. I'm sorry. I only appeared now because all of the Moment energy and emotional distress. The hair is my fault." She points between her hair and mine. "The split was a bit violent on you."

"Your memories?" I mutter. "What's going on?" I press my hands harder into the ground. I wince at the pain. This is real. I repeat to myself.

"The Crimson Dragon sent me here to help you stop Z-One." She says slowly. "I tried to help you. I warned what would happen if you didn't stop Yusei. I showed you his head severed in his helmet.  _But that wasn't enough._ " She places emphasis on every word. "I told you to use every means necessary, but what did you do? You asked him not to die. He will sacrifice himself for the good of the City. You know this. I wanted you to save him. I really did."

"So I was right." Z-One's voice booms as its projected. The other Yuuka flinches slightly. She stares up at the projection with a strange expression that I can't read. "I knew a ghost had infiltrated your team."

"You're always right,  _aren't you_?" She answers, with plenty of sarcasm to her voice. Z-One doesn't respond. "What's wrong, Z-One?" She continues. "You were supposed to have been immortal. That's all your people wanted, and you couldn't even do that." I squint at the other Yuuka, confused. Then, I realise. Her Yusei died a long time ago. The projections in the sky cuts to a shot of Yusei's face. He seems very confused. I wonder if he can see and hear what's going on down here.

"That doesn't matter now, the outcome will still be the same. Let's continue the duel. My turn." Z-One declares. "Lazion, the Timelord returns to my deck during my Standby Phase. I send Nonexistence to my graveyard to activate the Continuous Trap, Endless Emptiness. Due to Endless Emptiness, I can Special Summon a Level 10-or-above monster from my hand. But all my monsters will have 0 attack points. I Special Summon Zaphion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Zaphion, the Timelord can't be destroyed, and battle damage becomes 0. Will you be able to survive my Timelord's attack again this turn, Yusei Fudo?"

"When a Timelord is on the field, its effect won't let you summon other monsters." Yusei explains. "In other words, you can only have one Timelord at a time. If you can only attack once per turn, I can survive with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"

"I told you that I know everything that you're thinking." Z-One emits something like a smug hum. "I already have a method to defeat that strategy. Endless Emptiness has another effect. When this card is face up on my field, its effect allows me to summon more Timelords. So even is a Timelord is on my field, I can summon other monsters." Z-One is talking like his plan is to kill Yusei. But why? What does Z-One get out of killing Yusei? Aside from his overall plan. I look over at the other Yuuka. She's staring up at the projections with us. She looks at me but, realising that I'm looking at her, turns right back. "Due to Endless Emptiness's effect, Timelords gain infinite power. By this effect, I Special Summon Sadion, the Timelord and Kamion, the Timelord from my hand(ATK:0/ATK:0)."

"Three Timelords?" Yusei exclaims.

"Yusei's strategy depends on there being only one Timelord! If there are three…" Crow mutters.

"Sadion and Kamion can't be destroyed, and battle damage becomes 0. Battle." I flinch at the harshness of Z-One's voice. "Zaphion, the Timelord attacks Black Feather Dragon. When Zaphion, the Timelord battles, all of your spell and trap cards on your field, return to your deck."

"Trap Card, open!" Yusei interrupts as Zaphion begins to attack. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! It negates your monster's attack! After it activates, it can be set again!"

"He stopped the first effect activation, but there are still two Timelords." Aki walks over to me, and bends down to hold my arm. I realise that I'm still sitting on the ground. She helps me up, and stands at my side, holding my waist. "What effects could the other ones have?"

"I don't know," I answer. "I don't care. I just Yusei to win, and for this to be over."

"Battle." Z-One continues. "Sadion, the Timelord attacks Black Rose Dragon. When Sadion, the Timelord battles, if I have less than 4000 life points, my life points become 4000." Z-One regains the damage that Yusei worked so hard to deal.

"No way!"

"Kamion, the Timelord attacks Red Daemon's Dragon. When Kamion, the Timelord battles, all monsters return to your deck, and you take 500 points of damage for each one."

"What?" Yusei exclaims. The impact of the damage, leaving him at 1500 life points, is enough to send him spinning. My feet move forward as if I could stop it. I close my eyes and focus on Yusei's aura spinning around, but Z-One's aura keeps dragging my attention away from it. I open my eyes to see Yusei flying back up with the wings of red energy coming from his D-Wheel looking even bigger than before.

"You narrowly escaped death. I end my turn. Yusei, I know you're searching for hope in this situation." I barely have time to blink before Z-One suddenly appears behind Yusei. "I have zero cards in my hand. If my next turn comes, the three Timelords return to my deck. And if I don't draw any other Timelords, I will have to end my turn without summoning a Timelord. If that happens, you'll be able to attack and possibly win. In the past, I also believed it was possible to save the world. But in the end, it didn't happen as I imagined.  _You cannot save everyone._  This is how I arrived at this conclusion. In order for peace in the future, this city must be destroyed now."

"You're wrong!" Yusei turns his D-Wheel around so that it's flying backwards. My heart rises into my throat because it doesn't seem safe whatsoever. "No matter what, I won't give up! I do not believe in saving the future by destroying the City! You are not me!" He points right at Z-One. I shake my head as I keep staring at the projections. Aki grips me tighter. My mind cycles through the imprint of memories left by the other Yuuka. There's no denying it.

"If Z-One is really Yusei, then where is his deck? Show us Stardust if you're him, Z-One!" Jack shouts.

"That card was lost." I mutter in response. Everyone turns to look at me, including the other Yuuka. "It was destroyed in a fire." I stare at the other Yuuka's neck, at the burn marks creeping up on her neck. They're connected, alright. I think Z-One lost more in that fire than just a card.

"You still deny it?" Z-One asks, moving back in front of Yusei in the blink of an eye. "Then I will tell you, the real reason why I'm you."

"What?" Yusei's hand lowers as Z-One disappears again. He appears just behind him. Did he even move just there?

"I was looking for a way to save the world from destruction. I realised something about the machine army, its power source was Moment. And what powers Moment? The Yusei Particles that were my namesake. They read people's souls, so I knew I had to make people behave morally. But the desires and negative feelings of arrogant people were things that I couldn't change with my own hands. I tried. Believe me, I did." I look over to the other Yuuka. Her eyes are closed and her head is tipped downwards, hiding most of her face. "I was Yusei Fudo, the supposed saviour of Neo Domino City. I was a legendary hero who faced all obstacles and never gave up. I knew that I had to become the hero believed me to be."

"Unbelievable," I hear Jack tut.

"Yusei Fudo, your power is incredible." Z-One continues to refer to Yusei as a separate person. Does he recognise us as being different from himself and the other Yuuka? Or is he just continuing the facade? "Eventually, my people once again remembered to help each other, understand each other, and the machine army stopped attacking us. I began to feel that the world would be saved. However... There wasn't enough time left to spread the message to everyone. Due to people's negativity, Moment finally started to spin negatively towards destruction. The affected network selected the path of destruction. In the end, I wasn't able to save a single person. I lost that which was most important to me. It wasn't possible to change people's hearts. And I reached my current conclusion. In order to save the world, I must erase the Moment that our father created and Neo Domino City from history."

"You lost the most important thing to you?"

"That's why he's trying to destroy the City?"

"That's nonsense!" Yusei shouts. "There will be many casualties! Will that truly save the world? You're fine as long as the people of your future are saved? You're fine if this City's people die in their place? There's no way that's good! I will find a way to save everyone in both the present and the future!"

"You still don't understand." Z-One rises above Yusei, fitting the godlike image he aims to achieve. "Despite my efforts, the future couldn't be saved." He points a giant mechanical finger right at Yusei. "Even though I had the power of the Crimson Dragon, I couldn't change the future from its path of destruction! The only path that remains is to sacrifice this City. Yusei, continue the duel!"

"The power of the Crimson Dragon? What does that mean?"

The brand of the Crimson Dragon on Yusei's back flashes in my mind. The blinding red that comes with the Signers' marks turning into a charred black. I blink slowly and the image fades. I look towards where the other Yuuka stood, she's gone. I place a hand over my chest. She fades back into our plane of existence, and looks at me sadly. My head tilts. When Z-One says he has the power of the Crimson Dragon, he means the entire brand. I think I understand now. The other Yuuka's memories, they feel so strong in my head. Just now, the line between hers and mine blurred. Almost as if I was Z-One's Yuuka. But I'm not, I remind myself. My Yusei is not Z-One. No matter how much those lines may blur, we are not them.

"My turn!" Yusei declares. "I won't give up on the future! I set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn. Sadion, Zaphion and Kamion return to my deck during my Standby Phase." Z-One explains. "Zaphion, the Timelord's effect activates. When it leaves the field, I can draw until I have five cards in my hand." Z-One's mechanical hand holds up a single card. "I have one card in my hand. Therefore, I draw four cards from my deck."

"No way… He has an effect to replenish his hand."

"I told you that it wouldn't go as you planned. With this draw, I added a new Timelord to my hand." He holds up his now full hand.

"I expected you to draw!" Yusei interrupts. "I flip over my trap card, Talisman of Reversal! When you add cards to your hand other than during the Draw Phase, I can draw until the numbers of cards in my hand matches yours!"

"Oh?" Z-One is perfectly emoting a fake surprise that fails to cover his smugness.

"I believe this draw will lead me to a comeback!" Yusei challenges Z-One directly. "I draw five cards from my deck! I can Special Summon this card when an effect adds it from my deck to my hand. I Special Summon Scouting Warrior in defense position(DEF:1000)! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Steam Synchron, from my hand(ATK:600)! I can Special Summon it from my hand when a monster is Special Summoned to my field! When Steam Synchron is on my field, I can Synchro Summon even during your turn!" Yusei circles around Z-One before shooting upwards. "Level 3 Steam Synchron tunes Level 4 Scouting Warrior!"

"Ruka, your mark!" I look behind me to see the light of a Signer mark. I focus on the projections in the sky to stop looking at the blinding light.

"Please protect Yusei!" I hear her mutter.

"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! Descend, Ancient Fairy Dragon(DEF:3000)!"

"Hm, do you think that cheap trick will work against me?" Z-One's hand moves as if it's a flourish for a bow. "I activate the trap card, Empress's Crown from my hand." A lightning bolt shoots from the card, right to his deck. "I can activate it from my hand when you summon a Synchro Monster. I draw two cards for each of your Synchro Monsters. By summoning a Synchro Monster, you've worsened your own situation. I will erase everything you can do. Due to the Continuous Trap, Endless Emptiness's effect, I Special Summon a Level 10-or-above monster from my hand." Z-One throws all five cards in his hand through the infinity symbol on the field. "Witness the infinite power of the Timelords."

"What?"

"Appear, Michion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Hailon, the Timelord(ATK:0). Raphion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Gabrion, the Timelord(ATK:0). Finally, Sandaion, the Timelord(ATK:4000). Due to Endless Emptiness's effect, my monster's attack points become 0(ATK:4000-0). Raphion, Gabrion, Hailon, Michion and Sandaion can't be destroyed by effects or battle, and I take 0 battle damage."

Z-One's field is suddenly swarmed with Timelords. I bring a hand to my mouth. My entire body shakes a little. The overwhelming power radiating from Z-One's side of the field is almost too much for me, even at this distance.

"No way! He instantly summoned five Timelords?"

"No matter what you do, you can't save this City. Yusei Fudo, that's what you will learn. You cannot save everyone."

"I can't save everyone?" Yusei echoes. "What does that mean? You said you lost the most important thing to you, is that what made you become Z-One?"

"Yes, I despaired. I lost all hope. The Crimson Dragon's power that I gained allowed me to carry out my task. To erase Moment and Neo Domino from history."

The  _Crimson Dragon's_  power? Why did it decide to gift Z-One with its power? Regardless if he was once Yusei or not, it makes no sense. The Crimson Dragon has chosen its Signers carefully until now. If the Crimson Dragon sent the other Yuuka back, why is still helping Z-One?

My chest starts to burn. Everyone's marks glow for a second before dimming. I feel the Crimson Dragon calling out to me. The other Yuuka grasps her right arm. Z-One is too powerful. The Crimson Dragon tried to take back its power, but it was too late. Z-One calls himself a god. Maybe he's right. No. He couldn't be right. Z-One was once Yusei, I can't forget that. I won't. He's only playing god. Z-One was once mortal just like Yusei and I.

"What did you lose that was so important?" There's a bite to Yusei's words. "What made you think that  _any_  of this was okay?"

There's a long pause as Z-One doesn't reply. The weight of the silence is definitely felt. I look towards the other Yuuka, who stares in the general direction of Z-One. She doesn't know. She told me that. What could cause  _Yusei_ , one of the sweetest people I've ever met, to suddenly decide that millions of lives are worth losing for some end goal? What despair could he have gone through that would cause that? What-

"I lost the love of my life."


	79. Know Who You Are

"You lost the love of your life…" Yusei repeats Z-One's words right back to him. Everything feels like it freezes around me. I look to the vision of the other Yuuka, and she stares right back at me. Her eyes are wide, they start shifting around rapidly.

"This isn't happening." She presses the heel of her hands to her temples. "It can't be."

"What does that mean?" I ask, my feet moving towards her.

"This wasn't part of the plan." She takes a deep breath, but she dissolves into a quake of shaky breaths. "I never knew why  _my_  Yusei became Z-One. I don't know how to fix this. I thought it was just the state of the world, and that despair. I never thought it was me." She turns suddenly, her hair whipping about.

"You lost…  _Yuuka_ …" Yusei's words fade away. The projections in the sky cut to his face. He looks confused and hurt.

"Yes. My friends had all died, I still kept going." I turn to look back at my own friends. My eyes snap shut. The other Yuuka's memories burn the inside of my eyelids. I don't want to see it. The ruined future that they came from. The corpses of the people they once called friends lining the streets. "But Yuuka stayed at my side. The future didn't seem lost when she was in it. I thought we really had a chance. But it didn't last for long. I lost her when the Machine Emperors attacked us suddenly. I lost both Yuuka and my deck to them. In that instant, I became Z-One. Without Yuuka by my side, I gave up all hope for the future. I knew changing the past was the only way to save the future."

The projections focuses again on Yusei's face. He remains silent. Everyone does. I look to the other Yuuka. Her hands move up over the lower half of her face.

"I'm sorry but,  _what the everloving fuck_?" My voice raises a few tones higher than necessary. I feel everyone's eyes turn to me. Aki's hand touches my arm. I look at her. Her eyebrows are completely furrowed. She goes to speak, but no words come out.

"Yuuka, we're-"

"Michion, the Timelord attacks Ancient Fairy Dragon." Z-One continues, interrupting the tension down here.

"Not yet!" Yusei shouts. "I won't use Scrap-Iron Scarecrow yet!"

"Then you'll take Michion, the Timelord's effect," Z-One's giant mechanical hand points right at Yusei. "When it battles, your life points are halved." Flames appear around Yusei, dragging him down in the air. He disappears from the projections, going between the buildings. I hear the rev of Yusei's engine as he climbs back up to face Z-One.

"My attack continues. The second Timelord, Hailon, attacks." Big shards of crystals fly towards Yusei.

"I flip over my trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! It negates your monster's attack!" The shards break and fall as they hit the barrier creating by the card. I take a deep breath. I hope this is enough. "After it activates, this card can be set again!"

"When Hailon, the Timelord battles," Z-One explains, "you take damage equal to the difference in our life points. If you stopped Michion's attack with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, you wouldn't have been able to stop Hailon's attack and lost. Why did you use Scrap-Iron Scarecrow at the start?"

"You said that you were me," Yusei points right at Z-One, "and I would have bluffed with my first monster and dealt the finishing blow with my second monster. That's why I took Michion's attack and saved Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" I press my fingertips to my temples. Z-One has the advantage here if we're going into this tactic. Judging by the physical age of the other Yuuka, Z-One has more experience with Yusei's deck than he does. And Yusei doesn't know the full extent of Z-One's deck. This situation is giving me far more anxiety than I'd ever like to experience. Yet, all I can do is stand and watch it.

"No matter how hard you try, I still have three Timelords that can attack. You think you can survive that?" Z-One asks, with a lilt to his voice. There's something there, something that he isn't telling us. I look at the other Yuuka. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the match.

"In order to protect Neo Domino City, I will definitely survive! Bring it on, Z-One!" Yusei clenches his fist.

"Yusei, feel the power of the third Timelord. Raphion, the Timelord attacks." A blast of ice begins to freeze Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"I activate Synchron Believer's effect from my hand! When my Synchro Monster is attacked, that battle is negated, and I can Special Summon this card from my hand! I Special Summon Synchron Believer in defense position(DEF:100)!" The monster appears and forms a barrier around Ancient Fairy Dragon. "So Raphion, the Timelord's attack is negated, and its effect doesn't activate!" The dragon begins to thaw, so Raphion retreats back to Z-One's side of the field.

"Raphion would've returned the monster it battled to your hand, and you would've taken damage equal to its attack points. So, you stopped that too. For the fourth Timelord, Gabrion attacks Ancient Fairy Dragon again." Z-One declares. "You don't have anything left to stop this attack." Crashing waves swallow up both Yusei and Ancient Fairy Dragon. I step forward. Aki grips my arm, I look down and see that her knuckles are turning white. My feet are peeking over the edge. If I went any further, I'd fall to my death probably. I jump backwards, nearly falling in the process. Crow manages to catch me before I trip. "When Gabrion, the Timelord battles, all cards on your field return to your deck." The water fades, leaving Yusei slightly damp with an empty field.

"That means Yusei can't do anything!" I hear Crow say as he helps me get stable on my feet again.

"Now your field is empty. Even your slightest hope has turned into nothing. Sandaion, the Timelord attacks you directly. When Sandaion, the Timelord battles, you take 4000 points of damage." Sandaion forms a sword of lightning, before swinging and throwing it at Yusei.

"Yusei!" My hands fly up to my face. I feel the shockwave of the impact.

"I knew you couldn't save this world." I hear Z-One sigh, sounding disappointed. I lower my hands.  _Disappointed_.

"I'm not done." The smoke clears to reveal Power Tool Dragon on Yusei's field. There's an audible gasp from Z-One. "It's not over yet!"

"Power Tool Dragon protected Yusei!" Rua exclaims, pumping his fist in the air.

"Why?" Z-One sounds more betrayed more than anything. These are the bonds forged by the Crimson Dragon. How is Z-One powered by the Crimson Dragon? Hasn't it changed allegiances before, and why isn't it doing that now? The other Yuuka also seems connected to it. There's so many things I can't understand, and that no one will tell me.

"When Sandaion's effect activated, I activated Synchron Keeper's effect from my hand." Yusei explains. "When I take damage from an effect, that effect is negated, and by removing Synchron Keeper and a Tuner in my graveyard from play, I could Special Summon a Synchro Monster whose Level equals their total(ATK:2300)!"

"I would congratulate you for surviving, but you have little time left." Z-One says. "The Ark Cradle will soon collide with Neo Domino City, destroying that detestable Moment" Just as he finishes, a building dislodges from the Ark Cradle, nearly crushing Yusei. It falls into the City, taking out a skyscraper, leaving only dust.

"He's right. There's no time left. If I don't hurry, everyone will…" Yusei clenches his fist. "Everyone's fate depends on me."

"Yusei." Z-One interrupts. "You now know how it feels to carry the burden of everyone's fate. It was the same for me. When I failed them, the despair and sadness I felt was indescribably huge. That's why I came to this era! In order to save something, something else must be sacrificed!" He points directly at Yusei before speaking. "Yusei, you're too arrogant if you think you can save both the present and future!  _You can't save everyone._ "

"What?"

"I set one card and end my turn." Z-One's words become faster and more frantic. "You only have one card in your hand. What can you do with that?"

"I will get through this turn and open the door to victory! My turn!" Yusei declares.

"I activate my Continuous Trap." Z-One interrupts. "By sending Endless Emptiness to the graveyard, I activate Infinite Light. This card negates the effect that causes Timelords to return to the deck during the Standby Phase. And since Endless Emptiness was sent to the graveyard, there's no longer the effect that makes their attack points become 0. Sandaion, the Timelord's attack points return to 4000(ATK:0-4000). The Timelords won't leave my side for eternity. There is no way you can win."

"No way…" Yusei is wide eyed as the words escape his lips. The ground beneath me starts shaking. Aki grabs onto Crow and I in an attempt to keep us safe.

"It's finally happening." Another chunk of concrete falls from the Ark Cradle, hitting the City again.

"The City!" I hear Yusei scream before a big crash.

"Yusei!" Everyone screams. I look up to the projections in the sky. Yusei falls unconscious, away from his D-Wheel. I start shrieking at the top of my lungs. I feel Jack and Crow restrain me, as I try to fight my way to the edge of the platform. A beam of Moment light flies up and catches Yusei, making him vanish. I feel their grips loosen and I fall to the ground.

"What?" I mutter.

"He is safe. Don't worry." The other Yuuka appears before me. Everyone's eyes, including my own, move to her.

"Has she been here the whole time?" I hear someone mutter.

"The light belongs to his father." She explains. "Hope is not yet lost." Just as she finishes speaking, Yusei is caught by his D-Wheel. My body trembles from the relief. Jack helps me stand back up. That came a little too close for comfort. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way.

"My father saved me." Yusei says as he starts moving again. "Thank you, Father. I believe in the future! I'll live strong for my father!" He revs the engine and flies back up to meet Z-One.

"He's okay." Crow sounds very overwhelmed. Jack grabs onto him, letting go of me, and shakes him a little.

"That's right," Aki puts a hand on Crow's other shoulder. "No matter the situation, Yusei always created his own future." The twins cheer for Yusei. I just stand there, not reacting. There has been too many close calls. Anything could kill him at this point. I can't let my guard down. I can't just  _assume_  Yusei will win because that's what he always does. Z-One is too powerful, supposedly blessed with the power of the Crimson Dragon, far beyond the capability of one Signer alone.

"Z-One! The battle isn't over yet!" Yusei declares. "I promise to save this City and the future! I summon the Tuner Monster, Turbo Synchron(ATK:100)! Level 1 Turbo Synchron tunes Level 7 Power Tool Dragon!"

"The mark!" Ruka exclaims as her brother's Signer Mark lights up.

"Alright!" He exclaims, pumping his fist. "Yusei, use my Signer power!"

"The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution! Synchro Summon! Evolve, Life Stream Dragon(ATK:2900)!" Rua shouts his chant along with Yusei. The energy of the Crimson Dragon feels stronger than ever. I feel a fire in my chest, clearer and brighter than before. I look at the other Yuuka. Her hand covers her right forearm.

"When Life Stream Dragon is successfully summoned," My attention turns back to Yusei, "if I have less than 2000 life points, my life points become 2000!"

"It's pointless," Z-One says. "It is destined that this City will perish along with Moment. It will be the foundation for a bright future."

"Is the future you're talking about really bright?" Yusei accelerates to meet Z-One. He begins to circle around him. "Even if Moment vanishes from history, if humanity's evolution leads to desire and temptation, there's no difference from the future you lived in! Can you still say that the world is saved? In order to truly save the future, everyone's hearts must move in the correct direction, and we must create a future where we can flourish together with Moment!" Yusei raises a clenched fist. "If we don't save the present, then the future won't be saved either! We won't be able to save  _anyone_." He stretches his arm straight out to point at Z-One. "Isn't that right, Z-One? I will find a way to save the future!"

"Yusei!" Everyone exclaims around me.

"I know now," Yusei continues, "I'm not carrying the burden of destiny alone." I look over to see the other Yuuka smiling. "Everyone in the City is rooting for me. They are giving me power. I see!" He shoots right up beyond the Ark Cradle. "In order to surpass my own limits, I can't do it with just my own power! I must unite my friends' thoughts and form our bond. The bond between Team 5D's make that possible! Bruno,  _I found it!_  I activate Speed Spell - Synchro Panic from my hand! When I have 7 or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon as many Synchro Monsters as possible that I Synchro Summoned earlier during this duel! But the monsters that I Special Summon have their effects negated, and their attack points become 0!"

"What are you planning to do?" Z-One asks.

"Come back to me!" Yusei raises his hand in the air. "Ancient Fairy Dragon! Black Rose Dragon! Black Feather Dragon! Red Daemon's Dragon! I activate Life Stream Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can change the Level of all other Synchro Monsters on my field to whatever number I want! I change the Level of all my other monsters to 1! Jack, Crow, Aki, Ruka, Rua! In order to save the future, we must unite our bond!"

Everyone's marks begins to glow. I look around me as the blinding crimson light illuminates their faces clearly.

"Yusei wants our power."

They all raises their arms up, just like Yusei. The marks fade away, as the full brand of the Crimson Dragon appears on Yusei's back. I have to blink a few times. As Yusei flies through the clouds, he and his D-Wheel begin to turn gold.

"This is the new stage!" Yusei stretches his arm out in front of him, eyes closed. "Over Top Clear Mind!" The Crimson Dragon appears beside him. I feel my eyes grow wide. I feel  _giddy_. I'm witnessing the world opening up in front of me, and I'm  _excited_. "Level 8 Life Stream Dragon tunes Level 1 Ancient Fairy Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, Black Feather Dragon and Red Daemon's Dragon! When Clustering Stars gather and unite, those new bonds will illuminate the road to the future! Become the path its light shines upon! Limit Over Accel Synchro! Light Of Evolution, Shooting Quasar Dragon(ATK:4000)!"

The power of the Crimson Dragon resonates through me. In that moment, I catch a glimpse at the future. An older Yusei. Z-One?  _No. Not Z-One._  He's  _my_  Yusei. I see his smile, and I feel safe. I know there's a future waiting for me. Yusei descends through the clouds in a haze of green light with his new dragon.

"Z-One! This is the crystallisation of Team 5D's bond!" Yusei points right at him. "This symbolises our evolution!"

"Yusei did it. It's the ultimate Synchro using five Synchro Monsters!"

"It symbolises Yusei's evolution."

"And ours."

"And the crystallisation of our power."

"Shooting Quasar Dragon!"

"Limit Over Accel Synchro?" Z-One echoes.

"Here I go, Z-One!" Yusei stretches his arm up towards his new dragon, who roars in response. "Feel our power!"

"But Timelords can't be destroyed," Z-One explains, "and I take 0 damage. No matter how many new monsters you summon, you can't destroy the Timelords."

"SQD can negate destruction-negating effects." Yusei counters. "When SQD attacks, it doesn't take your monsters' effects, and it can attack for every monster I used to Synchro Summon it! Let's go, everyone!" SQD shoots out five energy blasts of different colours.

"Go, SQD!"

"Attack the Timelords!"

"With the blast that created the universe!"

"The Creation Burst!"

Four of the energy bursts turn into the normal Signer Dragons. They swarm at Z-One's Timelords, destroying them in the process.

"Only Sandaion is left!" Rua exclaims. "SQD and Sandaion have the same number of attack points!"

"Go, SQD!" Yusei declares. "Attack Sandaion, the Timelord!" The dragon unleashes the last energy burst which turns into Rua's Life Stream Dragon. Sandaion's thunder clashes with Life Stream Dragon. An explosions erupts from the strength of their attacks.

"All the Timelords are destroyed…" Z-One says. "But it was mutual destruction. You also have no monsters on your field." The smoke clears to reveal Shooting Star Dragon. "What? Shooting Star Dragon?"

"When SQD is destroyed, I can Special Summon Shooting Star Dragon by negating its effects!" Yusei explains. "Shooting Star Dragon attacks Z-One directly! Stardust Mirage!" The attack causes Z-One to spiral down, screaming. His life points drop to 700 in one go. He crashes into a building down below us in the City.

"A counterattack straight from the soul!" I hear a voice shouting. Could that be the MC from the WRGP? "A surging wave of six attacks! See that, Z-One? This is Yusei's... I mean, Team 5D's inner strength! Z-One has 700 life points left! Win for us, Yusei! The future of Neo Domino City rests on your shoulders!"

"He did it!" Ruka cheers.

"He's so close to defeating Z-One."

"Go, Yusei!"

The projections follow Yusei as he moves over to Z-One, who is still lodged into the side of the building.

"I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 7 Speed Counters, I draw one card from my deck!" My heart jumps for a second. I think Yusei would activate Speed World's other effect. If he had a Speed Spell in his hand, he could have just won. There's a long pause as Yusei ponders what to do. "I set one card and end my turn."

"I am the last person alive." Z-One's voice starts so quietly that I can barely hear it. "I survived many painful, long years to save the future. I have the right to change history."

"No, Z-One!" I step forward, shouting. I don't know where it come from. I look over to the other Yuuka, she's vanishing slowly. "No one has that right!" I put my hand over my heart. I feel her there, the other Yuuka. "The future is ours to decide! It can be changed. All hope is not lost." I repeat her words back to Z-One. I know that she spoke those words now. "You just have to trust us. Leave the future in our hands. We can save this world. Please believe in us!"

"You deny my existence,  _Yuuka_?" My name carries a weight from Z-One's lips.

"If what you say about the future is true, then despair may be waiting for us." I answer. "But no one has the right to take away a person's future, even if it's to save the world. Every person has the same amount of potential to change the future!" My fist clenches and I feel my knuckles turning white. "Why won't you try to believe that, Z-One?"

"Because I don't have the time!" A bright flash of light suddenly blinds me. I open my eyes again and look to the projections. I see Z-One shooting up, followed by Yusei.

"Yusei! Let's continue our duel. I'll show you that potential is nothing against me! My turn!" The rings on Z-One's field join together. A bright blue light flies through the rings, whipping us a wind. Lightning flashes from the blue light. I have to shield my face as bits of debris fly up at us. I spot the blue light breaking off into streams. "Watch, Yusei. This is my power! This is my grief!" The lights from the shape of the tree of life that I once saw in a book.

"What is this?" I hear Yusei mutter.

"The Continuous Trap, Infinite Light has an effect that activates when I have summoned the ten Timelords." Z-One explains. "Timelords emerge from ten lights. Beyond the lights are hidden wisdom that only the chosen saint can use. Emptiness becomes infinite, and the infinite gives birth to the ultimate Timelord."

"Ultimate Timelord?" Yusei echoes.

"I Special Summon Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord(ATK:4000)!" A monster resembling the other Timelords, except only bigger, appears on the field. "You'll learn that you're powerless. Sephylon's effect activates. It Special Summons as many Timelords as possible to the field, and they each have 4000 attack points."

"What?"

"Appear, Timelords Metaion, Sadion, Gabrion and Sandaion!" The Timelords surround Yusei on all sides.

"That's not all." Z-One continues. "Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord's attack points equal the total of all the Timelords on the field(ATK:4000-20000)."

"What? 20000 attack points!" Yusei exclaims.

"It seems our long battle finally comes to an end." Z-One sighs, despite seemingly being close to victory. "Now the future will be saved, along with Neo Domino City's destruction! Go, Sephylon! Attack Shooting Star Dragon! Akashic Storm!" I scream Yusei's name as smoke and explosions throw him around in the sky. "Farewell, Yusei.  _Vanish._ "

I calm my shaking body as the smoke clears. Yusei steadies himself and smirks.

"I haven't given up on my future yet!" Yusei shouts in response. "I flip over the trap card, Converging Wishes! When Shooting Star Dragon is destroyed in battle, battle damage is negated and I can Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon by removing its Synchro Materials in the graveyard from play. Level 1 Turbo Synchron tunes Level 7 Power Tool Dragon! Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)!"

"What's the point of summoning Stardust Dragon with 2500 attack points?" Z-One asks. "I have four Timelords with 4000 attack points each and Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord with 20000 attack points."

"No, this Stardust Dragon is the crystallisation of Team 5D's and the people of this City's wishes! Converging Wishes's other effect activates! Stardust Dragon gains attack points equal to the total attack points of all Dragon-Type Synchro Monsters in my graveyard. There are seven monsters in my graveyard(ATK:2500-23000)!" Stardust Dragon grows in size as it absorbs seven balls of light.

"It's huge!"

"By returning the Synchro Monsters in my graveyard back to my deck," Yusei explains. "Converging Wishes forces your monster to battle Stardust Dragon this turn! I choose Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord!" Five glowing orbs begin to fly towards Sephylon.

"By removing a Timelord on my field from play," Z-One interrupts, "Sephylon's destruction and battle damage are negated." A shield forms with the different faces of the Timelords reflected inside.

"Let's battle, Z-One!"

Each of the Signer Dragons attack, breaking the shield piece by piece. The aura of the Crimson Dragon becomes very overwhelming. But I don't feel ill. It's bringing out emotions in me. I feel the other Yuuka inside me. I know her memories like they're my own. The Signers of the other timeline would be proud. I feel them with me. We can do it. I know we can. I will change Z-One's mind, only then, we can be safe.

The last part of the shield breaks.

"Alright! Now all the shields protecting Sephylon are destroyed."

"Go!"

"Yusei!"

"This is my final attack!" Yusei pauses and takes a deep breath. I feel my chest for a split second. I know he's thinking of me. "Take our future, Z-One! Our thoughts become the path that lights the way to the future!" A bright yellow light shines down as a wind begins to blow. "Stardust Dragon, attack Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord! Shooting Sonic!"

The explosion throws Z-One from the sky.

"No way...  _I lost_?"

A fiery explosion ruptures from where Z-One fell.

"It's finally over!" I hear the MC roar. "A miraculous duel! With a miraculous huge come-from-behind victory, leading to Neo Domino City to our future is our hero, Yusei Fudo!" I hear cheering from the City. Everyone around me begins to cheer.

But I don't.

Everything goes dark as the Ark Cradle stops. Crow grabs my arm and smiles at me. I can't bare to smile back. The ground beneath us starts to shake. Buildings start sliding down, and chunks of debris fall.

"This is bad!"

_No._

"The Ark Cradle is falling apart!"

We've lost.

"Everyone, run away!"

The duel was won, but we didn't stop the Ark Cradle.

Yusei is going to strike the negative Moment with the positive Moment in his D-Wheel to stop the Ark Cradle once and for all. He will  _die_.

I've failed.

Jack grabs my arm to make me run to our D-Wheels. I shove him away from me.

"Yuuka!" He shouts at me. I wave my hand, using my powers to throw him towards everyone else. They catch him before he falls.

"Yuuka!" Everyone screams. The ground between us cracks. They scream. I can barely react. The Crimson Dragon roars, carrying them away. I fall to my knees.

"I couldn't save  _him_!" My throat burns as I start crying. The other Yuuka appears before me again.

"You still can."

"No I can't! I was stupid and did nothing. Now I'm going to lose him forever."

"That's wrong and you know it. There is still time."

"What do you want me to do!?" I scream back, my throat raw. "I'm stuck here on a crumbling building about to fall to my death. The Crimson Dragon saved my friends and not me."

"Are you sure?" She asks. I look up at her, glaring.

"Yes."

"Then save yourself."

I freeze.

Save  _myself_?

I remember Aki said the same when she dueled Divine.  _Yusei didn't save her, she saved herself._  I've got to do the same. I can't sit here and cry, waiting for my inevitable death.

Yusei is up there, ready to sacrifice himself for the good of the City.

There is no City without Yusei. He is their saviour. No unification, no nothing. Everyone owes Yusei their life. Including me,  _especially_  me. I will repay him now. The only way I can.

I  _will_  save his life.

Yusei has been the only thing making my life worth living. After all the times I've considered killing myself, he has been the only thing stopping me. If he threw away his life, I don't know what I would do.

That's why I've got to do it.

My back burns. My eye snap open to look at the other Yuuka. She grips her right arm. Everything has a orange tint. I look over my shoulder, a blinding red light shines from my back. I look back at her for an explanation. Her eyes are wide, the red light reflecting in her magenta eyes.

"The Crimson Dragon." She mutters. "It's given you the full brand."

I feel it. The power of the Crimson Dragon is flowing through me. This is the most powerful I've ever been. I could bring the world to its knees if I wanted. But no. I know what I must do. The words fall from my lips as effortlessly as breathing.

I run to the edge of the platform beneath my feet and  _jump_.

_A frozen spear falls from the heavens and pierces the earth! Usher in a cycle of destruction and rebirth! Lend me your power, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!_

I free fall. The world disappears for a moment. I don't feel scared. My feet land on something cold, I grab onto it for dear life. Trishula roars and flies. I hold onto its rightmost neck. Its scales feel cold to the touch. I shiver slightly as I run my hands over its body.

I focus on Yusei. I feel him moving towards the reactor at the centre of the Ark Cradle. I spot Z-One on a building down below. He jumps in a blink of an eye and hovers in front of me.

" _Z-One._ " I plead. "Help me save him."

"Yuuka," is all he says in response.

"Please."

"Yuuka, where did I go wrong?"

"You only tried to create your own future." I answer. "Your warning has deeply touched the people of today. As long as we don't forget it, we can change the future! Please trust us and believe in us. The future is ours and ours alone to decide. The other Yuuka- no,  _your_  Yuuka agrees with me. We think it's time for you to stop. We know your body won't last much longer. So,  _please_ Z-One, entrust us with the future."

"You're right. Thank you for your words. Yusei may have won the duel. In another life, you won my heart. Now, you won the future for this world. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you. I believe you and Yusei can make this future better. Use my Crimson Dragon brand to save Yusei."

The vision of the other Yuuka appears before me, and Z-One smiles. His giant mechanical hand reaches out for the leftmost head of Trishula. He warps us inside of the reactor shoot.

"Yusei!" I shout as I see him approach the reactor with his D-Wheel. There's still time.

"Yuuka! Z-One!" He turns around and see us.

My hand reaches out. Yusei holds out his hand for me. I twist my wrist, using my powers. Yusei nearly falls out of his D-Wheel. There's fear in his eyes. I move away from Trishula, hanging on with one arm. I just need to get him onto Trishula, and me onto his D-Wheel. Then everything will be okay. Yusei can go on living, that's what I want. I go to twist my wrist further but my arm locks up.

"No, Yuuka." Z-One says. My arm lowers, Yusei's eyes move between us. "It is not yet your time. My body has the same Moment as your D-Wheel, I will strike the minus Moment with it."

"What?" Yusei mutters. I'm frozen in place, unable to move. My arm is still locked up. My chest burns, I know what this means now. Z-One's too powerful. The other Yuuka is reaching out from inside me.

"You're entrusted with a new future. You must live!"

"Z-One!" The other Yuuka separates from me again. The Crimson Dragon's brand burns even hotter on my back. "Is this really happening?"

"Yes, Yuuka." He answers. "I may now be at peace."

"Will we go together?" The other Yuuka reaches her arm out for Z-One. There's a sad smile on her face as a tear trails down it.

"Of course, my love."

"Goodbye Yuuka." The other me turns back to look at us, one final time. "Enjoy the future that we never had." She looks back to Z-One. "Come on, death is just one more adventure. Let's do it together."

Trishula fades away behind me. I throw myself at Yusei's D-Wheel, catching myself on the back of it. Yusei places one of his hands over mine. Z-One's giant mechanical hands grabs the D-Wheel, throwing us back up the shoot.

"Z-One!" I scream. I see the two of them fly into the reactor. Yusei keeps turning around to look at them. He screams too. Tears roll down my face.

Then, just like that, they're gone.

The burning on my back ceases. Z-One's Crimson Dragon brand vanishes with his life. A bright white light glows, propelling us faster. Huge chunks of debris fly past us as the Ark Cradle starts spinning in reverse. Yusei revs the engine. We get spit out of the Ark Cradle as it starts to vanish. The sunrise over the City blinds me as we drive. I look between Yusei and the vanishing Ark Cradle. He doesn't look back, he only looks forward.

"Yusei! Yuuka!" I hear our friends shout, but their cries fall deaf on my ears.

"You're alive!"

"You thought you were done for!"

Yusei lands the D-Wheel on the ground. I run towards the railings, looking out over the City and where the Ark Cradle fell. It vanishes, just like that.

My entire body burns. My chest burns, my throat feels like fire. The other Yuuka… She's  _gone._  She's not coming back.

Then, it hits me. Her life.

Her memories. Her beginnings. How she got her marker. Fighting with Yusei in the middle of a crowd. Rex Godwin telling the Signers about their fate. Fighting the Dark Signers by Yusei's side. Them falling in love. Their first kiss. The worry she felt whenever he was in danger. Dueling in tournaments, either with him or against him. Moving in together. Winning a tournament together. Then, the world turning to ruin. Their friends dying one by one. Their Signer marks gradually becoming the full Crimson Dragon brand on Yusei's back. The excruciating pain that it caused Yusei as each mark engraved itself into his skin. Losing hope, one day at a time. Then, finally, nothing. Her death. Yusei becoming Z-One. The Crimson Dragon speaking to her, sending her back in time to me. Her sadness as she witnessed my first kiss with Yusei. The pain at seeing what her Yusei had become. Despair. Pain. Sadness. Anger.  _Despair._

I scream.

I scream until my throat is raw and my lungs are on fire. I feel her pain. Or is it my own? I don't know anymore.

Everyone crowds around me, pulling me away from the railings. I refuse to move. My grip eventually loosens and I fall.

"Yuuka, what's wrong?"

"Yuuka!"

"Tell us what's wrong."

"Yuuka,  _please_."

I look up at my friends. My eyes jolt between them. All I think about is seeing their corpses and their marks being burnt onto Yusei's back. My eyes move to Raiden's back as he retreats and the tears only fall harder.

My gaze falls to Yusei.

Yusei.

Z-One.

_Yusei._

My Yusei.

It's harder to breathe. I look at him, and I see Z-One. I see what he became, and what he could still become. I sob. The cries rack my body. He tries to hold me close to calm me down. But I push him away.

"Her memories." I scream. "Her memories won't leave me alone."

Yusei's eyes are wide. He knows what that means. He moves further back away from me. Other people try to comfort me. But I don't let them. My breath quickens, but I start coughing. Black spots appear in my vision. The warmth of people's hand trying to comfort me is too much. I can't. I start coughing. Blood falls in puddles from my mouth. They panic, trying to help me. I don't care. I stop responding to them. Yusei might be standing in front of me, but he won't look at me. I might as well be dead.


	80. Brand New Eyes

"Mr. Fudo, there's nothing _wrong_ with her."

"Are you certain? She hasn't responded to anything since she got here."

"Nothing showed up in the scans. She's reacting to stimuli, sir." Sigh. "I think she's choosing not react. You mentioned Ms. Sasaki endured some trauma."

"That's right."

"Then, there's nothing we can do. We can prescribe therapy, but beyond that, I can't think of anything. There's no physical injuries that we can treat."

Pause.

"We thank you, Mr. Fudo, for what you did for this City, but this is something we can't treat."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"She can now be discharged. You'll just need to sign some papers since you're her emergency contact."

I hear a door close and Yusei sigh. I'm in a hospital. At least I think I am. I blacked out after getting out of the Ark Cradle, then I woke up in this bed. Yusei hasn't left the room since I woke up. I can't bear to look at him, so I haven't opened my eyes.

The memories of the other Yuuka are still ingrained into my mind. Snippets of her life just loop inside of my head. I'm not sure where she starts and I end. I'm trying to cycle through any memories in my head. Anything in the Satellite. Me. Anything to do with being a semi-professional duelist. The other Yuuka. Anything to do with duel gangs. Me. Anything to do with the Machine Emperors. The other Yuuka. Anything to do with Yusei…

Yusei…

My body starts to react at the mere thought of him. I feel uncontrollably hot, like I'm doused in fire. I feel Yusei press a bare palm to my forehead. Oh gods, I'm sweating. I try and force myself to calm down. It seems to work. Yusei retracts his hand and sighs.

I don't think things will ever be the same between us. Maybe that's why I haven't opened my eyes. When I look at him, I'm scared that I will see Z-One. What he could become if everything goes wrong again. Could my Yusei even become that in the first place? He was willing to sacrifice himself without a second thought. Did he even think of me? Were his possible last thoughts of me? He promised me that he wouldn't die. Look how that turned out. I'm angry, I'm absolutely livid. I want to give him a piece of my mind. How  _dare_  he. He promised that we'd both make it out alive. He tried to get himself killed. The only reason we're sitting in this godsforsaken hospital room together is because Z-One managed to throw himself into the reactor before Yusei did. Which was  _my_  doing, apparently.

I hate this.

I hate my life and everything it's become. And, honestly, I want to die. Why didn't Z-One let me throw myself into the reactor? Why do I have to sit here in a foul smelling hospital room, with a boyfriend that I can't bare to look at, playing a game of  _real or not real_  with myself? How did my life get to this point? How did I go from perfectly average foetus to absolute suicidal trainwreck? On what day did I wake up and the universe decided that I was never going to be normal ever again? I'd love to know. Like  _really_  love to know.

"Yuuka, I'm sorry  _please_." I hear Yusei say. He grabs my hand, reminding me how burning hot I am. "This is all my fault. Just please open your eyes."

I don't.

Does he even deserve that wish being granted?

What am I saying? Of course he does.

But.

He's completely destroyed my trust in him. I don't know if I can ever forgive him, or learn to trust him again. Can I? I don't have the answer. I don't know if I ever will. I have some trust issues, I admit it. Which may or may not be a consequence of being manipulated by Raiden Kimura, despite us never being in an official relationship. That is beside the point.

Yusei fucked up big time.

And I don't know what to do.

I hear Yusei sighing before getting up and leaving the room. I feel auras outside moving towards him. Oh gods. Jack, Crow and Aki are outside. Aki's aura moves faster towards the door. It gently opens before closing again. I hear Aki sitting down in the chair that I imagine is by my bedside.

"Yuuka, can you hear me?" Her voice is soft. I scan for Yusei's aura, it's definitely outside and far enough away that he couldn't figure out what's going on. I open my eyes slowly. I hear Aki gasp. "Hey." She smiles at me, but I don't do the same. Her mouth forms a hard line when she realises that I'm not going to smile back. "Are you doing okay?" I don't answer, I just blink slowly at her. "I thought so. You didn't react to Yusei at all." My eyes move around the bare hospital room. I notice the news channel playing silently on the small television set mounted on the wall. "We brought you here, you have a panic attack and blacked out. You were out for a few hours. We took the twins home, I made sure that Kaoru and Kasumi got back home safely." She moves the hair stuck to my sweaty forehead. "We were so worried."

I stare at Aki's face. There's very visible dark circles under her eyes. I try to imagine what those few hours were like. Then I remember that ever since I woke up, I've wanted to kill myself so I find myself being unusually apathetic.

"They're letting you come home." She says. "I know you hate hospitals so you're probably glad." I stare at her again. "I brought clothes from your house when I saw Kaoru and Kasumi, so you can wear those. I thought you would want something comfortable."

There's another beat of silence as I don't respond. I just blink at Aki very slowly. I look at her, and see the other version of her. The other Yuuka's Aki. Almost the same but not quite. She's more tolerable to look at, compared to Yusei that is. She stares at me slightly wide eyed, surprised I'd say. I probably look worse that she expected, if I look how I feel that is.

"I'm going to need you to get dressed for me, Yuuka." She says, gritting her teeth a little. Aki is smart, she knows that I am not willing to move in the slightest. Especially if moving means looking at Yusei, even if it's just for a second. "I'll help you, come on." She helps me sit up. She lets me get used to it for a while before I move again. I manage to get into a pair of pants, a loose fitting white t-shirt and some slip-on white shoes to match. "Look, you're doing so good." Aki sits back on in the chair beside the bed, as I stay on the edge of the bed. I freeze. Aki's eyebrow raises as she looks at me. This is one of Yusei's shirts. I had taken it so I could sleep in it back at Kasumi's one day, since it smelled like him. It doesn't smell like him anymore since it got washed. But I know it's his. Aki puts her hands over mine. She tells me to take deep breaths. I try. She keeps nodding until I feel more in control.

"Okay," she says after a few beats of silence. "Do you want to try walking?" I don't really give an answer, but Aki makes me get up anyway.

I just stare at the floor as Aki walks me through the endless corridors of the hospital. I can't see them but I feel the auras of Yusei, Jack and Crow a little bit behind us. Aki doesn't comment on them at all. She walks me straight out of the hospital, right past the front desk. I feel the guys going over to it. I'm glad that I have Yusei as my emergency contact, just so I didn't have to drag anybody else into this mess.

I feel Kaoru tugging at our mental connection, but I ignore it. My head is already messed up as it is. I don't need his thought stream running in the background of my messed up head.

Aki gets us a taxi. It's still bright out, but there's a tint of orange to the sky. Aki engages in some light conversation with the taxi driver. She's surprised that he's working so soon after everything happened. Wouldn't miss out on the opportunity, he says. A lot of people have been calling for taxis today, since everyone is misplaced after the evacuation. The taxi driver brings up Yusei's name and I sink into the seat. He talks about how great he is and how brave he is for saving the City. Aki glances at me nervously. I think she realises that Yusei is a no-go right now. She practically jumps out of the taxi after giving the taxi driver the fare, opening the door for me. She links my arm as we walk back into Poppo Time.

I take a deep breath when I step inside. I haven't been in here since before we left for the Team New World duel. It feels like a lifetime ago, even though it couldn't have been more than two days. Everything is where I remember it being. The other Yuuka didn't have Poppo Time. That makes me feel better. Knowing that all of the memories from here are mine and mine alone.

I walk past the couch in the garage. Aki stares at me as I slowly make my way up the stairs into the kitchen. I sit myself down on the loveseat and stare at the kitchen. Aki, after making her way upstairs, looks at me and sighs. She sits down beside me as I pull my knees up to my chest.

"Yuuka…" She mutters. She takes a lock of my hair in her hand and stares at it. It's nothing but a permanent reminder of the other Yuuka. My hair was at the longest it had ever been before all of this, sitting a bit below my collarbone. Now, it falls to the dip in my back. Far too long, if you ask me. I just look at the wall. I don't know what else to do.

I really don't know what to do.

The Ark Cradle is gone. We saved the world. That's it. There's nothing more to do. I've fulfilled my purpose in life. Yusei is still alive and the City is still here.

What am I supposed to do now?

Aki doesn't know what to say so she doesn't say anything. We sit in silence for a while. Aki's gaze still rests on my face, occasionally moving to my hair. She sighs. Her hand moves to my arm. She takes a deep breath, about to say something. Her arm lowers and we go back to silence.

I hear the rumble of D-Wheel engines and I jump. Aki's hand goes to my arm again.

"It's okay, Yuuka. It's just the guys."

Jack comes up into the kitchen first. I don't look at him, but I know it's him. His feet stop a little bit in front of the couch.

"I brought your D-Wheel back." Oh? I had actually forgotten about that. Wait. D-Wheel. I look up at him. He actually flinches. The look on his face softens just a little. I look to Aki and then back to Jack. "What's wrong? Aside from y'know..."

"Raiden?" Aki asks, and I nod. "He left just as you got back, we don't know where he went."

_We don't know where we went._

I look back at Jack and I suddenly feel ill. The image of a raging fire clings to my thoughts. Why can't her memories leave me alone? Why does Jack have to look the same as he did? It's terrifying how similar he is to the other Jack.

Jack just walks away. Aki puts a hand on my back and sighs. She moves me so I lean into her. How distraught must I have looked? At this point, I cease to care. I just want to curl up somewhere and die, to be perfectly honest. Aki rubs my back for a while. I move back away from her at some point, returning to my default state of not responding.

Aki leaves.

I just glance over to her and she's gone.

I sigh. I remember her mentioning her parents at some point, but not her leaving. Of course, she has to think of her parents. That's natural. I can't face Kasumi, Kaoru, or even my dad right now. I'm closer to them as the other Yuuka was to their equivalents. But still. It's a lot to deal with right now. Looking at my own friends, then Jack and Crow who are like brothers to me.

I know Aki was trying to help, but I am well past that point. I don't know if this can ever be fixed.

I sit there and stare at the wall.

I try to come up with something that justifies all of this. Yusei is alive. The City is safe. That was my end goal. The victory is earned. I tell myself. But I'm stuck like this.

The City gets to recover, but I never will.

A few cuts and scrapes, some small memories to repress. No big deal. This? An entire lifetime forcibly shoved into my head. I'm forced to sit here and live through these memories, and feel what she felt.  _That is impossible._

Crow comes into the kitchen after a while.

"Sorry, had to check on the kids." He says. He peels his gloves off and throws them on the counter. His Signer mark stands out clearly on his arm. Huh. I had almost forgotten that he was a Signer.

There's a beat of silence. He looks at me when I don't respond.

"Hey." He mutters, barely over a whisper. I look at him. Torturous memories flash inside my head, and I decide that's enough of that. "Jack told me that you were bad, but I didn't think you…"

Silence.

"We're all sorry for what happened, Yuuka. If there's anything-  _anything_  we can do, just let us know, okay?"

Crow sighs.

"If Yusei's right in saying that you can have all of the other Yuuka's memories, I can imagine that you don't want to look at us. But, we want to help you to get through this."

I close my eyes.

"If you want us, Yuuka, you know where to find us."

Crow goes up to his room. I hear the door close. I open my eyes again.

I feel bad, I'll admit that. My friends want to help me, and I won't let them. But they can't help me. They'll just make everything worse. They were all there in that other life. The Signers, Kaoru, Takumi, Kenta. No one can make me feel any better. I'll look at them and remember how everything played out.

They all die.

I even see some of them die, or I see their corpses.

My eyes close as I try to push the horrid imagery from my mind. No one deserves to see that, or live through it.

One person didn't die, I remember. It was worse.

Yusei lived through all of it. The marks of the Crimson Dragon assembled on his back until he had the full brand. He was the last remaining Signer, and he had all of the Crimson Dragon's power. It slowed down his aging, it kept him alive. The Crimson Dragon thought he could save what was left of the world. It was wrong. Yusei was the last person alive, or should I say Z-One. The Crimson Dragon's power allowed Z-One to time travel, just as it allowed Yusei once. I don't remember it happening, but Yusei told me about it. The rewriting of history blanked it from my mind. Z-One changed the past of his world, creating the alternate timeline that we live in now. One in which the Zero Reverse happened. He was unsuccessful, he kept trying until the Ark Cradle finally fell. Yusei beat him in a duel, but I was the one who convinced to stop the Ark Cradle from falling. He threw himself into the reactor with the other Yuuka, allowing Yusei and I to keep on living. Shaping the future that they never had.

The future.

Yusei.

Tears start falling down my cheeks. I don't realise it at first, but I allow them to keep going. I don't have a future now. I've completed my purpose in life, and I know it. I stopped Yusei from dying and the Ark Cradle from destroying the City. Now, I'm forced to live this shitty existence until I die. This is the reality in which I live.

Somehow it's become pitch dark. It must already be nighttime. The clock on the oven is waiting to be reset after the power went out before we went on the Ark Cradle. So I have no idea what time it is. Light shines into the kitchen from the garage, barely blocking out shapes in my vision. I stand up and walk slowly down into the garage.

Yusei stands, looking around the room. He hears my footsteps on the stairs and turns to look around at me. His eyes widen as I make my way down the stairs. He doesn't say anything and neither do I.

I reach the bottom of the steps and he jolts forward ever so slightly towards me. I don't- no, I can't look him in the eyes. I just stare at his feet and read his aura. There's so many emotions going on inside him. He's confused, sad, scared. But most of all, he's grief stricken and sorry.

"Yuuka, I-"

He starts but his words fade away along with his courage. We stand in silence for a few seconds. It's awkward at best, but I'd call it tense.

I look around the room, avoiding Yusei at all costs. He's covered up his D-Wheel in a giant sheet, as well as the desk with the computers. I start to wonder why, but then I remember.

Bruno's  _gone_.

Yet another person who sacrificed himself for Yusei. It wasn't in vain. Yusei used the new summoning method that Bruno taught him to defeat Z-One.

It doesn't feel real that he's gone. I feel like he'll walk down the stairs with a cup ramen, and ask to see some pictures of Kasumi's cat. Maybe it's because I'm so out of it. That I'm trying to process so much more that his death doesn't register in my mind. Maybe because I didn't see it happen, I only saw the aftermath. But he's gone, so is Z-One and the other Yuuka. Yusei and I are forced to pick up the pieces of what they left behind.

"Yuuka, I'm  _sorry_." Yusei finally says. "I broke my promise, and you have every right to be mad at me. I just wish that everything can go back to the way it was. I hope that, one day, you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

I look in the eyes. I take a good, long look at his face. That's my Yusei alright. The hair not as long as Z-One's was. The look in his eyes more akin to what I am familiar with. They're the eyes I missed every day for four years until I saw him again, only to wish I hadn't. The eyes that welcomed me back even after I came back from the dead to kill him. He wasn't even mad at me, he just blamed himself. He always blames himself. Even for the Zero Reverse, because of his dad. Even though both of them are blameless. We know now that it was Z-One's fault. He's probably feeling more guilty now than before. He's blaming himself right now.

What do I think?

He should.

He broke his promise, my trust in him,  _and_  my heart. I don't think I could ever forgive him. No matter how much he tries and beg for it.

"Yuuka." He walks towards me. He goes to place a hand on my arm but I jerk it away. I turn around. He tries to move in front of me. I look at the ground, not at him. He freezes in place. He takes a step back. I take a deep breath and look at his face again. His eyes widen as he looks into my eyes.

"Yuuka…" He mutters as my shoulder brushes his. I feel him turn around as I walk past him and back up the stairs.

I sit back on the loveseat in the kitchen. I try to stop myself shaking as I feel his aura shatter and _break_  downstairs. But, there's nothing I can do to stop the tears as they roll down my face.


	81. Reap Only What You Sow

Morning comes, just as it always does.

That doesn't make me feel anyway better.

I must have blacked out while I was crying, a somewhat normal occurrence. Because one second, the only light was coming from the garage, and the next second, all of it is streaming from the window. No one's up yet, so it still must be early.

I hear Yusei put his foot on the bottom step of the stairs going up to the kitchen. It creaks as he withdraws his foot, not going any further.

I'm still angry at him. I didn't  _want_  to hurt him by ignoring him completely, but he needs to know that I still am upset and angry because of what he did. Saying that he's sorry doesn't change the fact that he promised me that he'd come out of the duel alive, only to try and sacrifice himself as soon as the duel was over. No amount of apologises could ease that pain.

It must be because he knows that I'm still here. He knows that I don't want to see him, at least for a little bit. I look at him, and I see Z-One. Separating him from the other Yusei and Z-One is going to be hard. Will I ever accomplish it? It seems unlikely. The resemblance between them is uncanny. Even now, I'm having a hard time remembering which memories belong to which Yusei. Even their markers are the same, which doesn't make anything easier on me.

Jack comes into the kitchen, and the first thing he does is look out the window into the courtyard. He scoffs and walk over to the kitchenette and put on the kettle.

"Want a cup?" He asks, not looking at me.

I say nothing.

He places a cup of black coffee on the coffee table in front of the loveseat. He walks down into the garage with his cup. At least he's drinking instant coffee now. That cafe across the courtyard must be closed. I hear Jack and Yusei talking in the garage. Their voices are quiet so I can't hear what they're saying. Yusei must have slept on the couch last night. Did he avoid going into the kitchen last night because of me? Probably.

Crow comes down next. He takes one look at me and flinches. "Mornin' Yuuka." He sighs when he doesn't get a response. I glance at him, he doesn't look particularly surprised. I look at the cup of coffee, still on the table, in front of me. Crow looks at it too. It's no longer steaming. I can almost tell just by looking at it that's it's cold. His head whips around when he hears Yusei and Jack in the garage, so he goes downstairs.

I'm left alone again.

That's what I want, isn't it? Just to be alone with my memories that doesn't belong to me, so I'm not forced to relive them every time I look at someone. But that's impossible. There's nowhere I can go in this City where I am completely alone. Her City looks almost identical to mine. Her friends look the way mine do. The line where she starts and I end is very blurred, to the point where I question if there is a line in the first place.

I get up off the loveseat up shakily. I hobble over to the kitchenette. I stand there, looking at the kettle. I'm not hungry in the slightest. I can't remember the last time I ate. I should probably have some coffee. No. I don't want coffee. The caffeine will only make me more aware of my surroundings. I don't want that. I don't want to be reminded of who I am and who I'm with at this particular time. I sit down on the floor and open the cabinet beneath the sink. I rustle around between all the bottles of bleach. I hear a glass bottle cling against a wall. I grasp the top of the bottle and pull it out from the back of the cupboard. I turn the bottle around in my hands. I'm grateful that I stocked an emergency supply somewhere where the guys would never think to look, since I'm the only one who ever seems to clean around here. I hear the garage open and slam shut. I jump a little at the sudden noise, but it doesn't actually bother me that much. I don't care who sees me like this. I'm depressed and I can drink vodka straight from the bottle before noon if I want to.

"Where is she?" Kaoru's voice booms from the garage. "She hasn't called me, and I know she's alive." The guys answer all at once that I'm upstairs. I hear the sound of Kaoru jogging up the stairs. I stand up and place the unopened bottle of vodka on the kitchen counter.

"Yuuka?" I hear him call. "Yuuka-"

He stops the second he sees me. I stand looking at him from the kitchenette. His eyes widen once he realises that it's me.

"What- What happened?" He asks me, barely above a whisper. I shake my head, I already feel the tears burning in my eyes. I remember the last exchange that I had with him. I told him what he should do if I didn't return from the Ark Cradle. But I'm here now, for better or for worse. He practically tackles me into a hug. The tears start rolling down my face, soaking the shoulders of his jacket. Sobs rack my entire body, leaving my body writhing in pain. Kaoru rubs my back in an attempt calm me down. He tries to use words, but they don't register in my brain. I cry until I run out of tears and I'm left shaking and out of breath.

Kaoru pulls away from me and pats my head. His eyes widen again. "Your hair…" He says. I meet his eyes. I don't say anything. "Yuuka, your eyes, they're different." I take a step back. Kaoru pulls out the camera on his phone, handing it to me. I pull down my bottom lid and stare at my own eyes. I let go of the lid and have a sharp intake of breath. My pupils are rimmed with orange, surrounded by their regular magenta eye colour. I stare back at my own face in the camera. "What happened? That colour… It's the colour they turn when you start using your powers too much. What happened when you were gone, Yuuka?"

I shake my head, stepping further and further back until my back hits the wall.

Everything just keeps getting worse. Not only did my hair change, so did my eyes? It must have been the Crimson Dragon, I realise. The others would have noticed the change when the other Yuuka appeared. Aki was right beside me, she looked me right in the eyes. No. The Crimson Dragon did this when it gave me the full brand. It was too powerful for me, a non-Signer, to bare. So, it left me like this. What did I do to deserve this? Couldn't have Z-One just saved Yusei himself and I die because I fell off the Ark Cradle?

Kaoru walks forward, pulling me into a hug again. My body starts full-on trembling. He tells me that everything's going to be okay, but I don't believe him. I let myself feel numb, I try to separate myself from everything that's going on. My body stops shaking and Kaoru lets me go. He pats me on the head again.

"Come on." He starts going back towards the stairs. I want to tell him to stop but no words escape my mouth. I still can't speak. I haven't spoken since I got off the Ark Cradle and blacked out. I can't make the words leave my lips, no matter how much I want to speak. "Please tell me that's all over." Kaoru says, walking down the stairs back into the garage.

"What's all over?" Crow asks, rubbing his hands over his cheeks. He looks like shit, to be honest. I'm only noticing it now.

"That Z-One guy, or whatever his name was." Kaoru waves his hand. He seems different then I remember him. Though what I remember is something I'm entirely sure about now. "Please tell me that he's dead."

"Yeah, he went out with the Ark Cradle." Crow sighs and brushes a hand through his mop of hair.

"Good." Kaoru answers. "He deserves to rot in a ditch."

No.

"That's what he gets for trying to destroy the City."

"No!" The word leaves my mouth with venom. I almost choke it out. But I see the look on everyone's face. They know what I meant.

" _No._ " I repeat again. I try to take a deep breath. But it does nothing to calm me down. Any attempt to numb myself is foiled. My body is shaking and I can't control myself. I feel my powers rising and falling like the tide, about to burst forth. "You don't knew him like  _I did_. How could you  _say_  that? You don't know what he went through!"

"Yuuka…" Kaoru's eyes are wide and focusing all over my face. His face hardens a little. "I don't care if he's Yusei from the future, or some random maniac pretending to be him. He's still a psychopath who tried to destroy the City."

" _Excuse you!_  You don't know what he went through! None of you do!" I start shouting. My throat feels raw after not talking for days. "And you're  _glad_  he's dead. You're pretending he was some fantasy villain, and not a person like you or me. He still had _feelings_! I can't believe you. Any of you!"

"Yuuka!"

My body starts running for the door. People try to grab my arm but I shake them off. I feel my powers fluctuating. My eyes are burning, but I don't know if that's from my powers or the tears. I start running. My lungs feel like they're on fire. I taste blood in my mouth. I feel like death.

I find myself standing where I saw the Ark Cradle disappear.

The sky is empty except for some wispy clouds. I sit down on the bench and catch my breath. My body starts heaving the way it used to. I feel my breath catching. I feel like shit.

I sit there.

I keep sitting there.

_You don't know him like I did_.

That's what I said.  _Like I did_. That's the bit that gets me. That phrase keeps the scene replaying in my mind over and over again. Am I that other Yuuka? The more I think about it, the more I feel like I am. I'm finding it harder and harder to draw the line between where she ends and I start. But that line's blurry. It's so far away that I'm questioning if there was a line in the first place.

I can't tell you what memories are hers, and what ones are mine. Obviously, anything with the Satellite and duel gangs is mine. But if that isn't at the forefront of the memory, it's a lot harder. Which Yusei is mine? Which Aki is mine? Which Crow is mine? Which Jack is mine?

I don't know.

_I don't know who I am anymore_.

Who am I? Really.

I can't answer that question right now. I know things I shouldn't. I remember an entire lifetime that isn't mine. I'm sitting here questioning if Aki likes scrambled eggs or not, whether Crow is actually a Signer or not, and why Jack chose the name Atlas because that's not his real name. Whether or not my Yusei still loves me or not.

Clearly he doesn't.

He tried to sacrifice himself for the City without even thinking about me for even a split second. He's making so angry right now that I can't even look at him.

Clearly he does.

He kissed my left ring finger before he left. He looked genuinely sorry for what he did. He said he still loves me.

No he doesn't.

If he loved me, he wouldn't have tried to kill himself. But he did. He didn't think about me at all. He broke his promise without a second thought. If he loved me, none of this would have happened.

I start crying, harder than before. I stop breathing in places because my sobs are so violent. I verge on blacking out too. I cry so hard that it suddenly turns to night time and I don't even notice a thing.

Yusei doesn't love me.

That's all I can think about.

The city lights at night highlight the railings of the little plateau I'm on. I walk towards the edge of it and grab the railings. I look in the direction of the city centre. I can see the damage from the Ark Cradle. We lost a couple skyscrapers, some are just very damaged but still there. But the rest of the City is generally untouched. I managed to save most of it. Most of it.

I look over the railings. This little plateau is high enough that the fall could kill me, I reckon. That would be great, I think to myself. All of my problems going away just like that. Yusei wouldn't have to deal with me anymore, nobody would. I'm just a wreck now.

I jump up onto the railings, my feet balancing me on the somewhat thin pole. I look down beneath me. Solid grey concrete. I would die if I fell, I'm fairly certain.

"You promised me you wouldn't try to kill yourself again." I look to my right and see Shinji leaning on the railings. His normally slicked-back hair is falling into his face, it doesn't move in the breeze. He doesn't look at me at all, keeping his gaze on the City.

"I mean I did but…"

"I can't save you this time, Yuuka. I can't cut the noose now."

"I know you can't but…"

"Then why are you here?" I look to my left and Reika is there. I quickly glance the other way and Shinji has disappeared. "You said you never wanted to end up in this place again."

"Because I messed everything up, it can't go back to the way things were. Yusei doesn't love me anymore."

"Things change, and you do too." Emiko suddenly appears on my other side. My head whips over again. Am I dreaming? I blink slowly. The vision of Emiko blurs slightly. "You say you've ruined things before, but you've fixed them. Why not now?"

"Because it's gone too far. Yusei and I can't be together anymore."

"Why?" Kenta asks. That's it, I'm actually dreaming now. Game over. "He says that he's sorry for breaking your trust. You want to forgive him. Why don't you?"

"Because he hurt me. Because of that, our lives are ruined."

"Ruined?" Felix echoes. "Why is this such a big deal? It's just some memories, they might as well be fake ones."

"Because I feel everything she felt. Everytime I look at anything, I'm reminded of something she saw or felt. There's no me without her now. My life is changed forever."

"But she's a reminder of where you need to go." Jasper starts talking. I look away from Felix to him. "A reminder of what will happen, should you choose to do nothing."

"What can I do? I'm not a scientist like Yusei, or famous like Jack. I'm  _nobody_."

"You're not just nobody, you're Yuuka Sasaki." Ben retorts. "You convinced every gang leader in the City to give you their territory. That accounts for something. You have a way of making people see your point of view."

"I only did that because Raiden wanted me to. I just played along in his plan. That's what I've always done. Everyone just uses me. Raiden, Takumi, Z-One, the other Yuuka. Everyone just uses me."

"Raiden? Why does it always lead back to Raiden with you?" Anako asks. "You're so hung up on him. Why?"

"Because he's defined every part of me. Everything I am now is because of him. Now he's gone and I'm nothing now. I have no identity. I'm just a nobody."

"Are you sure?" Miguel asks. "If so, then make something of yourself. Why are you here?"

"Because I don't know how to go on. There is no going on. I have no future. The other Yuuka took away my future by giving me her memories. I can't go towards the future if I don't know who I am. I'll just spend my life worrying if my future is going to be as bad as hers. Raiden took away my past. Everything I do now is a result of him. He hurt me so bad that I can't sleep at night. There is no me without him and now he's gone."

"Is this really because of me?" Everything slows down as Raiden appears. I look over at him. The wind blows gently, his bangs move with it. He looks towards the City coolly as if it belongs to him, and he doesn't even care. "You think everything that happened to you is because of me? You becoming a Dark Signer? You getting involved with Z-One?"

"No, that was all me."

"You're blaming Yusei and I, but you came here on your own."

"Yes."

"You say you want to end it all, but what will that change?"

"No one will have to deal with me anymore." I look back at my Neo Domino City. "I'm a broken mess of a person now, they're better off."

"Are they?" Raiden asks. "Yusei needs you. He only feels more guilty now. He'd have caused your death, not once, but twice. He feels guilty because of Z-One, and Bruno too. Even moreso for the Zero Reverse now because of that."

"But he hurt me the way you hurt me. He told me he'd never do that."

"People make mistakes, you know that better than anyone."

Silence.

"Maybe you're right." I answer. "I need Yusei. He's my sun, my moon, my stars. My rock. I need him more than anything." I take a deep breath. "And  _he_  needs  _me_. He may have fucked up, but so have I. We've recovered from me coming back from the dead to kill him. He forgave me for that, even though he shouldn't have. Who's to say that we can't recover from this? He can earn back my trust. You know why?" I look at Raiden, who almost seems frozen in my dreamlike vision. "Because we love each other. There's nothing stronger than that." I take a deep breath. "I love him, and he loves me. I know that now."

Raiden smiles at me. I can see pain in his eyes. But I put that up him not actually being here. I know he's not here. This is only a vision created by my brain because I am mentally ill and delusional.

Then, I get tackled to the ground. Something- Some _one_  grabs me by the legs, pulling me down from the railings. I land on my shoulder, which takes most of the blow.

"Just  _what_  did you think you were doing up there!?"

"What's it look like?" I reply sarcastically. The pain in my shoulder tells me that I'm not dreaming. I really just got tackled off the railings mid-suicide attempt. In fairness, I did calm down up there. But they don't know that.

"It looks like you were about to fling yourself off the railings to your  _death_. After  _someone_  promised me that they'd never do that again."

"Shut up Takumi, why do you care?"

"Why do I care? Because I'm your friend."

" _If you're not with me, you're against me._  Exact words." Takumi rolls me over onto my back and hovers over me so I have to look at him. I just close my eyes. At least his head blocks out the street lights.

"You know what, Yuuka? That doesn't matter right now." I open my eyes in surprise. That's unlike Takumi. Apparently he didn't stop talking about his plans for world domination. Why would he now? "You're still my friend. I may have been an asshole-"

" _May_?"

"I  _was_  an asshole, but you need me right now. So we're putting that behind us at least for a minute or two."

"That's a surprise." Takumi grabs my arm and pulls me up so I'm sitting up. I look through the gaps in the railings at the City lights.

It hits me what I almost did, and I start sobbing again. Takumi sits down beside me and rubs my back. The sobs only become more violent so he pulls me into a hug.

I tried to kill myself.

_Again._

After I promised so many people that I wouldn't. Oh gods, what are they going to think? How could I be that stupid? I have things I want to do and see. Not even that. I would have been leaving Yusei behind. I love him more than anything in this world, and I forgot about that? I feel  _awful_. Takumi gets me to stop hyperventilating. He makes me take deep breaths, guiding me through it. He rubs my back and counts backwards from ten.

It stops eventually. I sit there on the concrete. Somewhere in there, Takumi made me sit with my back against the railings. So I feel the cold bars on my back. I try focus on that. It's something tying me to the real world that's around me.

"Yuuka?" Takumi asks.

"Yeah?" I mutter.

"Why?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"In the Ark Cradle, I saw a future version of me." I sigh, not even looking at Takumi's face. "One that was attached to Z-One. They sacrificed themselves to save the City. I was going to throw myself into the reactor to stop it falling, and to stop Yusei from doing it. They stopped me and Yusei. She imprinted herself on me before that. She left me all of her memories. I can't tell what's real and not real anymore. Yusei promised me that he wouldn't walk to his death, and broke that promise. I don't know if I can ever trust him again. Honestly, there's too much going on right now. I don't know how to deal with it. I don't know how to move on."

Silence.

"Interesting."

"I nearly killed myself, and all you can say is interesting?" I chuckle to lighten the mood. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"I believe you." I turn to look at Takumi. "Know that at least."

"Interesting." I reply.

"Please go get help, Yuuka."

"Takumi, I'll be in a straitjacket before I can say  _alternate future_."

"I don't know, but I just want you to get help. You need it."

"I know."

Silence. My stomach rumbles and I hide my face in embarrassment. Takumi looks at me completely serious, eyebrows raised.

"Are you back on your bullshit again? How long? A day?"

"Like two, probably."

"I'm gonna go find something for you to eat, you stay here."

He gets up before I can even say something, so I just let him. I sit there and listen to the sounds of the City.  _My_  Neo Domino City. I suppose the City is truly mine now. I conquered all of it, and now I've saved it from being wiped from history. No one can take it away from me now. It's mine and mine alone.

That's not quite right.

It's mine and Yusei's City. It's  _ours_.

It will never be taken from me now. I've fought tooth and nail for this City, I've given up  _everything_  for it. Saying it didn't belong to me would be a lie.

I hear Takumi running back towards me before he says anything. I spot the familiar logo of the local burrito place on the side of the brown paper bag. He takes the tinfoil-wrapped burrito out of the bag and hands it to me.

"I figured that's what you would have wanted."

"I'm not gonna say  _no,_ " I say as I take the burrito. I tear the tinfoil and take a bite as quick as I can. My stomach is in pain from the hunger.

"Man, you just  _really_   _love_  burritos, don't you?" Takumi raises an eyebrow and smirks as he makes his shitty joke.

"No, that's  _you_. You're the gay man here." Takumi laughs and goes to respond, but I cut him off. "Mention my brother and I swear I'll beat you up."

"Come on, I'm not  _that_  bad. We've been dating for like two days, give me a break."

I look at Takumi, who stares right back at me. The conversation dies, leaving us in silence. I used to be great friends with him. I feel almost disappointed that we're not anymore. We confided a lot in each other, and now there's nothing. He's kind of the only person who  _really_  knows what happened with Raiden, and I know everything that happened with him. I know by the silence that he feels the same way.

"I'm sorry." Takumi looks in my eyes as he says but then quickly looks away before he continues. "I did a very shitty thing, I know I fucked up and I'm sorry."

"Wait what?"

"Y'know, I thought I could change the world by taking it over, if you will. It was a stupid idea, and I regret even coming up with it in the first place. I'm sorry for all of the pain I've caused to you, and to Kenta too."

"Wow," I mutter. "Wasn't expecting that."

"That's what Kaoru said too." Takumi huffs in something resembling a laugh.

"You already said that to him?" I raise an eyebrow. "I would imagine that we react the same to a lot of things."

"He was there when I realised it."

"When was that?"

"It was when we were being evacuated." Takumi stares at nothing in particular in front of him. "Kaoru was practically having an anxiety attack. He was worried about you, the Ark Cradle, everything. I was trying to calm him down, but nothing was really working. So, I kissed him and told him I loved him. In that moment, it was like everything went away. He had this big smile on his face, and he was only looking at me. In that moment, I realised something."

Takumi goes silent for a second, he smiles.

"Sometimes, you have to learn to stop fighting and protect what you already have."

"That's gay." I blurt out the first thing that comes into my head. Takumi's eyes narrow as his brain registers what I said.

"And there goes the nice moment."

"It's true though, you're gay."

"We all know this, Yuuka."

"You were never in the closet in the first place."

"Neither were you."

"That is true."

Takumi chuckles and shakes his head.

"I missed this," he says.

"Me too." The silence returns but it's more comfortable, I sigh feeling a little better. We continue eating our burritos. The sounds of the City are dulled tonight. Everything isn't back to normal yet, but it will soon. I know that. Things heal and change. Yusei and I, our relationship, will be okay, that's for certain.

"You think you can stand?" Takumi asks me, throwing his tinfoil into the brown paper bag. I do the same.

"Eh." I shrug my shoulders. "I'm kind of scared to go, if we're being honest."

"This is honesty hour, after all." Takumi says, standing up. He throws the brown paper bag into a nearby trash can. "But I think you need to go back. I've seen Yusei today, he's not looking too good."

"What do you mean?"

"He looks like shit, roughly as bad as you I reckon."

"Oh geez." I grit my teeth slightly. "That's not good." I remember how I flat out refused to even  _look_  at him last night. I feel bad, and honestly, I deserve it.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but you need to talk about it. You look pretty guilty right now." Takumi holds his hand out for me to stand up. I take it and stumble a little as I stand up.

"I imagine both of us are feeling that way." I answer while sighing.

"Come on, everyone's out looking for you." Takumi starts walking, forcing me to throw my arm over his shoulder to keep me balanced.

"They are?" I raise my eyebrows and make a face. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know, but you  _have_  been gone for a good few hours. Kaoru thought you had blacked out somewhere because he couldn't hear your thoughts. Surprisingly, he called me for help. So, if anyone asks, you happened to find me on the way back. Cause I know all of your friends want to beat me up."

"Sure, sure." I nod my head slowly and sigh again.

By the time that I can barely see Poppo Time, I can already feel everyone stressing out. Takumi opens the door for me, and I can practically feel everyone's heads whipping around before the disappointed.

"Excuse me." Takumi says, walking further inside. "Don't look at me like that. Look who I brought."

"Yuuka!" Everyone seems to shout out in unison.

"Where were you?" Aki runs up to me and grabs my arms. Her nails dig into me a little and I flinch. "We were so worried. What were you doing?"

"Hey, hey, leave her alone for just a minute." Takumi tries to get Aki off me. Her eyes widen a little before her brows furrow. "She's been through a lot, you're scaring her. She doesn't have to say what she was doing if she doesn't want to, okay?"

"And who do  _you_  think you are?" Aki takes her hands off me, turning her attention to Takumi. "Do you know what you did to her? You betrayed her  _and_  you made Kaoru do the same."

"Aki, this isn't the time for this." Aki's head whips around as Crow tries to step between them. "You can yell at him another time." Her eyes narrow, but she stands down. She hunches a little as she crosses her arms.

"Thank you, Takumi." Yusei says, cutting in. I hear the sincerity in his voice. He knows what I was about to do for certain. I look at him for the first time since coming in. I have to bite my lip as I feel my heart sink. Takumi was right. He looks like a mess. He's gotten rid of the clothes he normally wears for a plain t-shirt that's a little too big for him and jeans. I can see the bags under his eyes from across the room. I didn't think it would be  _this_  bad.

"Why is  _he_  here though?" I hear the frustration in Kenta's voice. "We're here for Yuuka, but somehow Takumi makes it all about himself like always." I see Yusei's eyes widen slightly as he stands beside Kenta.

"Who's gonna tell him?" Crow looks to me, before looking at Kaoru.

"Not me." Kaoru jumps in immediately.

Kenta looks to Kaoru who turns away. His eyes move around the room before landing on me, and then they widen.

"No,  _please_  don't tell me..." Kenta stares right at me. I feel compelled to say something, so I do. The only way I know how, over-exaggerated sarcasm.

"Dude, did you  _not_  know that Kaoru and Takumi were dating the entire time?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kenta's eyes close for a second before turning to look at Takumi. "You  _could_  have waited longer than a month."

"Then, who's that?" Takumi points towards Miguel who has been standing silent besides Kenta the entire time. Miguel has started looking at the ceiling.

"So, Takumi…" I turn around, putting on a fake laugh to make the situation less awkward. "You know Phantom Riders' Miguel, right? You remember him, don't you?"

"You know?" Takumi asks me. "Since when?"

"Around the same time that we started…" Kaoru starts answering but he doesn't realise that the question was directed at me.

"How do  _you_  know?" Takumi squints at Kaoru. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't exactly my place to tell you?"

"Okay, that's it!" Crow starts pushing Takumi out the door. "Get your relationship dramas out of my house. Goodnight everybody! Thanks for helping, but you're no longer needed. Bye!"

"You have my number, Yuuka. Call me, okay?" Kenta says before he walks out with Miguel. His eyes tell me that he knows what happened. There was an urgent tone in his voice, like he has something to talk about. Kaoru tries to start talking to me, but Crow practically slams the door shut. I hear Kenta yelling outside but it gets further away so I think I'm good. Miguel is strong, he should be able to handle it.

"Oh gods, that was awkward." Crow sighs.

"Tell me about it." Aki chips in, while Jack merely scoffs. It's then I notice the lack of the twins. Do they know why I went missing? Do they know what I was doing, and know not to include the kids? Probably, given my history.

"Are you going to tell us what you were doing?" Jack cuts straight to the point. I look at him and I flinch. He's angry. I remember the conversation I had with him once. He's been where I am now, he knows what I'm going through.

I don't respond. I just stare right back at him.

"Yuuka." He says with a little more force.

"Jack," Yusei interjects, "she doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to."

"Fine." Jack sneers slightly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow." He trots off upstairs just like that.

I see Crow and Aki looking at each other before glimpsing at me and Yusei.

"You know, I better head home." Aki says to Crow. "It's been a long day-"

"You're completely right." Crow cuts her off, nodding furiously. I can see what they're doing. They're giving me and Yusei some alone time, but could at least just say that. But that would involve having normal friends. "I'm going to go to bed. G'night you guys!" Aki gets onto her D-Wheel. The two of them all but fly out of the garage.

There's a beat of silence.

It's just Yusei and I.

I take a seat on the couch. Yusei's still standing in the middle of the garage, looking a little disoriented. I manage to catch his gaze. He seems a little more relaxed when he notices me actually making eye contact with him. He takes a deep breath and a seat beside me. He hunches forward a little and twiddles his thumbs together. There's a noticeable pause. I keep expecting him to say something, but it never comes.

"I didn't mean to worry you." I look down at my hands before turning my gaze to Yusei. He freezes for a second before staring at me, not expecting me to say anything. His hands move out of his lap and onto the couch. I cover one of his hands with my own. His eyes, looking quite wide, jump between my face and our hands. "What?" A chuckle escapes my mouth.

"Didn't expect that, that's all." His shoulders relax as he smiles. He takes his hands away from mine and rubs his face. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, I can imagine." The soft smile on my face fades. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise," Yusei shakes his head. "It's not your fault."

"Fine," I answer, "I'm not gonna argue with you tonight." Yusei raises his eyebrows a little. I'd be very surprised if I were in his shoes, to be honest. I slip my shoes off and curl my knees up to my chest.

"Come here." Yusei stretches his arm out, and I scooch over on the couch so I'm right next to him. I lean into him. He pulls my legs over his lap and tightens his arms around me. I feel his heartbeat, it's quite fast. It feels good to be so close to Yusei again. As angry as I felt, I still missed this. "I'm not going to make you talk about what happened." Yusei whispers softly. "You can tell me when you're ready."

"We're gonna be okay, aren't we?" I whisper, closing my eyes.

"Yeah." He answers, pulling ever so closer.


	82. All I Ask of You

"Oh thank the gods." I hear faint whispers. I realise that Yusei and I are splayed out on the couch, limbs entangled to the point that I'm not sure which set of legs are mine.

"I was worried they'd never start talking again."

"At least they're talking now."

"You're so right, I don't know what we'd do if they didn't-"

"Do you two really have nothing better to talk about?" I hear Yusei say, just a little too close to my ear.

"Shit, they're awake." I hear Crow curse. I swear I hear Aki giggle, and then there's silence. I hear two distinct pairs of footsteps on the stairs. Yusei settles again, pulling me a little closer since there's barely any space between us already.

"I mean, they're not wrong." I mutter into his shoulder.

"I agree with them, but I'm trying to sleep." He responds, smoothing the hair on the top of my head. "The least they could do is have their conversation somewhere where I can't hear them."

"Yeah, I like to sleep." I shift slightly in place so my weight isn't on entirely one shoulder. "Give me sleep, or give me death."

"Go asleep, go on." I feel Yusei adding a bit of force to the pats on my head. My hair catches underneath me, yanking my head back slightly.

"Yeah, nope, that's the end of that." I sit up, dragging Yusei with me.

"Your hair?" He asks, as I massage my scalp.

"Yep, suddenly having long hair kinda sucks." Yusei's hand move into my hair and suddenly he has a lot of it wrapped around his fingers. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I just think you look cute with long hair, that's all." He slowly moves his fingers so that my hair falls down again. "It's different."

I nod, saying nothing. We need to talk about what happened, but I don't think either one of us is going to make a move. It's still awkward between us, but we're acting like it's not. Does he even want to acknowledge it? I know Yusei likes to avoid talking about stuff that makes him emotional, he gets too much into his own head and then he can't bring himself to talk. I don't necessarily  _want_  to talk about it, but we need to.

"You want coffee?" Yusei asks, separating his legs from mine. I shiver a little as the cold fills the new space between us.

"Sure." I answer, and he immediately stands up. I follow him up the stairs since I have nothing else to do. Crow and Aki stare at us quietly as we come into the kitchen. I sit on the loveseat beside Aki as Crow silently hands Yusei the kettle.

"Are you gonna do anything with your hair, Yuuka?" Crow asks me, taking a sip from his mug. He takes a look at my face and flinches a little. "I mean, since I can't imagine you like having that length hair, and all."

"I guess." I run my hands through my hair. "I probably should cut it short again." I take my hands out of my hair as Yusei hands me my mug.

"I could cut if you like." Aki's hands cautiously move towards my hair. I nod, and her hands go for the ends of my hair. "It doesn't look like there are layers in it so I could just trim to around where you had it before. What do you think?"

"Yeah, sure." I answer, just going along with it. I'm not entirely sure what to do with my hair. I liked the length it used to be, maybe even shorter would be nice.

"I don't think any hairdressers will be open today, so if you want it done now, I'd have to do it for you." Aki says, getting the tangles out of my hair. She fishes a hairbrush out of the small bag she brought. "Crow, can you get me the scissors out of the drawer please? Thank you." She says, running her hands over the blunt side of the blade. "Here." She says, standing up and patting the back of the chair beside the desk. I set my mug on the ground and slink into the wooden chair. Aki clears her throat, which makes me sit a little straighter. She brushes my hair. My eyes close as I enjoy the sensation. She starts parting my hair. I hear the clunk of the brush on the desk.

That's when I start to panic.

Do I really want to cut my hair? I think to myself.

It's the last thing I have for the other Yuuka. It's a constant reminder of both her and Z-One, of what they did. They sacrificed themselves so that I-  _we_  might go on. So that Yusei and I can step forward and change our future for the better, that we could prevent the bad future from happening and death splitting us apart once more. I want that reminder. She gave me warnings of what would happen if I had done nothing. Me becoming a Dark Signer, Yusei dying on the Ark Cradle. Things that almost and  _did_  happen. No more. I refuse to stand by and watch life happen around me. I'm going to do it. I'm going to change the future myself, grab the bull by the horns and make something of my life. Until then, I can't let my one reminder slip away.

"No." I stand up, bunching my hair over one shoulder. My fists grabs the ends of it, causing some tension in my scalp. My eyes start burning with tears. "I can't cut my hair. It's all I have left of her. I can't do it." I practically jump as a glass of water falls off the desk, crashing and breaking on the floor. The water starts pooling near my feet.

Everyone is silent as they stare at me, wide eyed. The scissors are open in Aki's hand. She says nothing as she closes them again.

"It's okay, Yuuka." Yusei speaks up. "You don't have to cut your hair if you don't want to." I realise how tense my body is, and I relax my shoulders, letting them slump a little. I slowly let go of my hair, letting my arms fall alongside my body.

"Okay." I answer, my voice barely above a whisper.

The room gets silent as no one knows how to react. No one even moves to clean up the water and the broken glass. I would do it myself, but I'd probably start having a mental breakdown. I excuse myself back into the garage. I hear them muttering upstairs, just quiet enough that I can't understand what they're saying. Then, there's a set of footsteps. I already know that they belong to Yusei before he even appears through the doorway. He sits down beside me on the couch. He weaves his fingers together, fiddling with his thumbs. A small sigh escapes his lips.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I mutter. "Just get the lecture over with."

"I'm not mad at you, why would you think that?" He says, looking a little shocked. "Don't blame yourself for that."

"I don't know." I answer. "You're making that face, y'know the one where you look a little bit disappointed. That normally means you're going to stare at me until I feel guilty or give me a lecture."

"Well, you're wrong." Yusei sighs.

"What's the matter with you then?" Yusei's eyes meet mine. I know what's wrong with him, but I want him to say it. Yusei has always hid his problems, thinking that he's better off not bothering other people with his problems. But he can't do that now. I refuse to let him.

"I don't-"

"Yusei."

My voice is so firm that I feel my powers spike for a split second. I take a deep breath to calm down. Yusei meets my eyes again, and there's a silence.

"I don't know to feel." Yusei responds. "One of my best friends is dead, I'm apparently going to turn into an android with murderous tendencies in the future, and I feel like you're going to leave me forever because I managed to ruin everything in one go. How  _am_  I supposed to feel?"

"One thing at a time," I say, laying a hand on his arm. "I'm never going to leave you, let me get that straight."

"And how do I know that? I don't want to come off as an asshole, but you kind of tried to do that last night."

"Well," I sigh, thinking of everything that happened last night. It came close to the line, but I'm still definitely alive and not just a stain on concrete. "I reacted badly to everything that happened. It wasn't my first time as you know, but I'm hoping that it will be my last. I realise now that would have affected more than just me. I can't die now, I'd be leaving too much behind." I look Yusei right in the eye, and I see his face soften. "Don't  _ever_  think that I love you any less because of something that you did, or I did, because you're wrong. I love you more than anything in this world, and I want you to know that. I'm only alive right now because of you. I got to that place because I thought I lost you for good, and I only came back because I knew I couldn't leave you behind."

"Yuuka," is all he can say.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I continue. "I know I need help, I know that I'm broken, and I know I did everything wrong. I'm sorry for everything."

"Don't apologise." Yusei says, taking both of my hands in his. "If anything, all of this was my fault. My future self just  _had_ to try and murder millions of people-"

"Yusei." My mouth forms a harsh line. Yusei actually flinches the tiniest bit as I interrupt him. "You are not Z-One, I am not the other Yuuka. They are completely different from us, they will never be us and we will never be them."

"How do you know?" Yusei asks, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Because I have her memories, Yusei." I exhale through my nostrils. There's a pause as Yusei waits for me to continue. "You may have started the same as Z-One, you grew into a different person. You grew up in the Satellite, not in a life of luxury. I know you just like the other Yuuka knew Z-One. You can never become him, you aren't the same person. You've led completely different lives up until this point, you will never be him. Just like I'm not the other Yuuka. You will never make the same choices. We won't end up like them. We've got to create a new future," I reach for his hand, "together."

"Are you sure?" He asks very slowly as if he's trying to keep it together.

"Certain," I reply. "If I can't convince you, the only thing you can do is make sure the future doesn't go down that path. Until you know that we, and the future, are safe, we need to work for that future. One that won't tear us apart. I'm still convincing myself of that. I don't know how to change the future, but I know I have to."

"We're going to do it together." Yusei mutters, squeezing my hands. I return the gesture with a small smile. "Otherwise, you'd yell at me."

"Damn right." I chuckle.

"If you still trust me." My face falls. "I understand if you don't trust me anymore. I broke my promise and that nearly killed both of us. I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me and maybe even trust me again."

"Yusei, I know where you're coming from. I know why you did what you did. Believe me, I do. I tried to do the same thing. You promised me that you'd come back alive, but you tried to break it. The only reason that either of us are here is because Z-One threw himself into the reactor before we could. You completely destroyed my trust in you. After everything that's happened to me, I thought you'd be the one person who would never do that to me, but I was wrong." My breath catches in my throat and tears burn my eyes, but I keep going. Yusei's eyes are wide as they dart all over my face. I hear a noise from the kitchen, but I pay no mind to it. "If you want my trust, you're going to have to earn it back."

"I'm going to make you a promise, here and now, Yuuka." Yusei pulls my hands up to his mouth, kissing each individual finger. "I'll win your trust back, even if it takes me the rest of my life. You are the most important thing to me. I love you more than anything, I want you to know that."

"I do." A smile returns to my face slowly. I know he's telling the truth, I feel it in his aura. I honestly don't know what he can do right now to regain that trust, but I know he'll come up with something. A tear falls down my face without me realising it. Yusei wipes it away for me. I feel a little relieved, now that we've at least  _started_  talking about it. I notice the steady beeping noises, it's at least two things. I ignore it and scoot closer to Yusei, lying my head on his shoulder.

" _Yusei!_ " I hear Crow's voice shouting down from the kitchen. "The power went out again." I look at Yusei as his face falls.

"Again?" I echo.

"Yep." Yusei moves my head before standing up. "The power's been going ever since we've gotten back. I fix it for the time being, then it goes again. I can't figure out what's wrong with it."

"Surely, you'd be able to see what's going on?" I ask, actually knowing nothing about this. Yusei gives me a look which makes me shut up. Then, his eyes widen slightly. He goes over to the box attached to the wall in the corner behind the D-Wheels. "So, _that's_ what that box is for."

"Yes, Yuuka." Yusei sounds pretty amused. I hear the shuffling of tools. "I should teach you about this stuff."

"No thank you."

"You sure?" I can hear the smirk in his voice.

"That would be a disaster, Yusei, and you know it."

There's a beat of silence. "You're right."

"Rude."

"Crow, is that working again?" Yusei projects his voice up to the kitchen, without shouting. The beeping stops.

"Yep, thanks Yusei!"

Yusei sits back down on the couch again and sighs. He leans his head on my shoulder now. I weave my fingers through his hair.

"What's been going on with you?" He mutters, really quietly, fully aware that people are probably listening to our conversation from the kitchen. "I don't really understand."

"With the other Yuuka?" I ask. I feel his head try to nod in response. "It's not actually that complicated. She fused with me after my D-Wheel accident, or maybe after my duel with Raiden, I think, so I could save you in the- the Ark Cradle." I force myself to say its name. "I think that's why I always had such a reaction to seeing the Machine Emperors, it was her emotions inside me. Me learning about Z-One's identity was enough trauma for me that she separated from me. This is why my hair is long." Yusei's fingers reach out and bury themselves in the ends of my hair. I'm glad he likes it at least. "Z-One gifted me his brand of the Crimson Dragon, which I think my back still hurts. So, when they both died, it hit me hard. That's when I suddenly gained all of her memories, had a panic attack and blacked out."

"Sounds rough." His aura trembles slightly. I untangle my fingers from his hair, and pat his head, smoothing it down a little.

"Stop feeling guilty." I sigh. "You're not to blame for this, and neither am I. You're not going to become Z-One, you can't, because you're not the same person."

"Okay," is all he says in response.

"Yusei-"

"Will you tell me about them?" He asks quietly. "You don't have to right now, but eventually, I'd like to know what they were like."

"Of course." I mutter back. I know why he's asking. He wants to know for himself that he's not like Z-One. As far as he knows, he could be exactly like him, that there's a ticking time bomb until he loses me and becomes Z-One again. But he's wrong. I know it's hard for me to separate the other Yuuka from me right now, but I know we're different people deep down. I want to know where she starts and I end. I want to tell Yusei every detail about them and their life, why they ended up like the way they were and not like us. "One day, I will."

"I love you." He says after a pause.

"I love you too."

We fall back into silence. I sit there, just running my hand over his hair. It's a comfortable silence, I realise. We're sitting here, getting used to each other's company again. As short as our falling out was, it felt like months, maybe even years. I missed him. He knows me in ways that very few people do. I need him, I know this for a fact. Things might be rough for us right now, but it will get better.

"My hair is so greasy." I come to the sudden realisation as Yusei keeps playing with my hair.

"That has literally never bothered you before." Yusei responds almost instantly. He's not entirely right. Coming from the Satellite where running water isn't exactly an obtainable standard, you get used to having very greasy hair. So, naturally, coming to the City was a shock to the system. Taking advantage of my new situation, I used to have daily showers because running  _hot_  water is a beautiful thing to experience for the first time. Knowing that greasy hair wasn't the natural state of being made me resent it for a while. Now, mainly because of my questionable mental health, I've gotten used to the greasy hair again.

"I don't know, I'm going for a shower."

"Okay," Yusei takes his head off my shoulder and gives me a peck on the lips. I smile, giving him a proper kiss. I practically run through the kitchen, to avoid talking to Crow and Aki. I quickly grab a towel from Yusei's room. Out of habit, I lock the door of the bathroom once I'm in there. I start the shower, so the room fills up with a wet heat. I peel the white t-shirt off my skin, throwing it in the corner.

I look at myself in the mirror. It's the first time that I've looked at myself since the Ark Cradle. My hair has started to lose its curl in the ends from the grease, but it's still the same length, falling down at my waist. My eyes have gained an orange rim around the pupil, surrounded by my normal magenta eye colour. My eyes normally turn orange when I use my powers too much, returning to their usual magenta. Not this time. My eyes drift to my collarbone, and I notice something is missing. The scar from my first duel with Raiden has disappeared. I brush my fingertips over where the scar used to be. It's soft, no trace of the scar ever being there. I glimpse at my ribcage, where the star-shaped scar the other Yuuka gave me rested. Nothing there too. When Z-One gave me his brand of the Crimson Dragon, it accelerated my powers. I think that's why my eyes gained that orange rim. Maybe it accelerated my healing so much that it healed those scars. It sounds plausible. I turn my back to the mirror and twist my neck around. The brand of the Crimson Dragon still rests on my back, though it no longer glows. It's very definitely the Crimson Dragon brand. It's light pink, standing out against my pale skin. I sigh, turning back so I'm standing, looking at the mirror.

Is this the price I pay for keeping Yusei alive? I'll bear it for him, only for him. I sigh, peeling off the rest of my clothes and get in the shower.


	83. The Man Who Can't Be Moved

I spot Bruno's old visor on the desk, next to the computers. I pick it up, running my fingers over the broken edges. I notice a drop of water on the front of it, I go to wipe it away only to find that it's slightly warm. I turn to look at Yusei who lies asleep on the couch. My gaze goes back to the vizor.

It feels wrong.

I feel like Bruno's going back through that door, like nothing happened and fix up Jack's D-Wheel. Bruno's death doesn't feel real. Maybe because I didn't come to terms with it as it happened, maybe because I have too much to deal with  _now_  that mourning his loss comes after figuring who I am after everything that happened. I feel terrible, I should be sobbing. I should be distraught after the death of my friend, but there's only a twinge of sadness when I walk into the garage and he's not here.

"Hey Yuuka, want some coffee?" I put the visor down as Crow calls out to me. "I'm putting the kettle on."

"No thanks, I have a cup here." I answer, trying not to raise my voice too much. Yusei shifts on the couch, not that I think he was asleep in the first place. I take a sip of my coffee, only to find that I'm finishing it. I really should have checked how much coffee I had before I said no. I sit at the desk in the silence, once the kettle finishes boiling that is. Yusei shifts on the couch before sitting up.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey." He replies. I get a good look at his face. He looks tired. He was definitely crying, his eyes look a little red.

"How's it going?" Crow comes into the garage, holding a cup of what I assume is tea by the smell of it.

"It's going." I answer. I hear Jack moving around upstairs. The only other sound is Crow drinking his tea.

Then, there's a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Jack comes down the stairs, scowling a little. "No one ever knocks."

I squint at the door, focusing on the aura. Oh boy.

"Crow, answer the door, you're closest."

Crow groans a little before walking up the ramp to the door. The door is open for about a second before he slams it closed again.

"Yuuka, there's a little bitch at the door."

"I know." I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Who is it?" Jack asks again.

"Raiden." I watch their faces fall.

"Maybe if we ignore it, he'll go away." Yusei sounds exhausted, which is highly relatable. There's another knock at the door. "Maybe that's the postman, did anyone order a package?" Another knock. "Anyone? Please."

"That's it." Jack comes all the way down the stairs, and moving towards the ramp. "I'm gonna kick his ass." Another knock, and Jack visibly twitches.

"It's fine." I put my hand, trying to keep Jack in place with my powers. I think it works because he glares at me. "I'll get it." Crow moves out of my way, so I'm standing in front of the door. I look down at myself to make sure I'm presentable. Black skinny jeans, red turtleneck crop top with a light black jacket thrown over it and black ankle boots. Good enough. I take a deep breath and open the door.

"Can I please just talk to-" Raiden starts talking before the door opens all the way. He stops when he sees it's me. "Oh."

"What do you want?" I ask.

"Well…" He trails off, eyeing the space behind me. I turn around to see Jack and Crow practically leaning on the wall, trying to see Raiden. They look away dramatically when I try to meet their eyes. "I just want to talk? But I don't think they'll let me."

"That's a fair assumption." I say, turning to look back at Raiden.

"Can we?" He raises his eyebrows, away from them.

"I don't know." I move back into the garage a little so I can look at Yusei properly. "Yusei, can I?"

"Just bring your deck." He answers.

"You heard him." I turn my attention back to Raiden.

"You're going to Cafe la Geen, so we can see you." Jack moves between Raiden and I, pointing to his regular cafe just across from Poppo Time. "If you try  _anything_ , I will come over there myself and personally make sure you can never do anything again. Understood?"

"Got it." Raiden looks a little spooked, which is amusing. Despite being slightly taller than Jack, Raiden is scared shitless by him. It's probably all the threats of murder, at least Jack hasn't punched him again,  _yet_.

"Now, call us if you want us to come get you." Crow hands me my deck.

"I think I'll be fine." I sigh. Why are they like this, I ask myself. Because they're both overdramatic, that's the answer. There's no two ways about that. It's nice to know they care about me enough to do this. I close the door before they start going overboard.

"So Cafe la Geen?" Raiden asks. I take a good look at him. He almost looks  _sheepish_ , but he still looks like the Raiden I knew. I don't think that man could ever wear anything other than a black shirt and slacks, at least he's added a black blazer. "I assume you've been there."

"Actually, no." I answer. "It's expensive and Jack spends all of our money there, so  _I_  can't afford it."

"Don't worry, get whatever you want. I'll pay for you."

"You don't have to-" I suddenly get interrupt by a mysterious fist punching Raiden in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Dude, what the fuck!?" Raiden tries to defend from the flurry of punches coming from Takumi. "No, stop!"

"No?" Takumi backs away for a split second before kicking him in the gut. "Oh what? Didn't think I'd do that. But you haven't listened to a  _no_  before, so I'm not listening to yours."

"Yuuka, do something!" Raiden shouts at me. Takumi glances at me before kicking Raiden in the gut again. "Yuuka!"

"No means no, asshole."

"Hey Takumi, I wanted a punch in." In the second that Kaoru gets Takumi's attention, Raiden gets back to his feet.

"You let him do that?" Raiden raises his eyebrows at me.

"You deserved it, shut the fuck up." Kaoru looks angry at the mere sight of Raiden. "You're lucky that I'm not going to do anything to you…  _yet_." Raiden flinches a little and wipes the trail of blood coming from his nose.

"Shinji, do you get all of that?" Takumi turns to Shinji.

"Yep." Shinji replies, typing vigorously on his phone. My phone buzzes, telling me that Shinji sent me a video.

"Really, Shinji?" Raiden asks his own cousin.

"Dude, I know you're my cousin. But  _damn_ , that was satisfying." Shinji bites his lip in an attempt not to grin, but it seeps through.

"Now, what exactly are you two doing together?" Kaoru crosses and steps right between Raiden and I. "Does Yusei know?" He glances over his shoulder at me.

"Jack, Crow and Yusei know I'm with him." I hold up my deck. "We're going to that cafe across the way. Jack and Crow are watching to see if anything happens, and Yusei told me to bring my deck." I step out from behind Kaoru to see him glaring at Raiden. "Uh… Kaoru?"

"I hear you." He answers, keeping his gaze on Raiden who looks  _very_  unsettled. "We're coming with you, no complaining. I don't trust him around you."

"That's fair." I respond, shrugging my shoulders. Raiden gives me a look, not being too keen on the idea of three pretty strong men following us around in case he slips up, not to mention one of them being a psychic.

Kaoru walks directly between Raiden and I as we all walk to Poppo Time. The air is unmistakably awkward. I glance back at Takumi and Shinji who are snickering and blink repeatedly, trying to portray my want for this to end.

"This is actually a bit of a private matter." Raiden reluctantly says as Kaoru starts to sit down at the table we choose. "I'd prefer if you didn't sit with us." Cue raised eyebrows and a harsher glare from Kaoru. "I-I mean you're welcome to sit at the next table if you want, it would just be better if you weren't at our table."

"Come on, Kaoru." Shinji pats him on the shoulder before basically dragging to a table, not one, but two away.

I sit down at the table across from Raiden. We just kind of blink at each other.

"Do we have to go order or-" Raiden begins to ask before being interrupted by Stephanie coming up to us.

"Hello, welcome to Cafe la Geen. What can I get you?" Stephanie bows a little before staring at her little notepad, waiting for us to respond.

"Flat white." Raiden responds, not even looking at her.

"Americano please."

"Oh hi Yuuka, I didn't recognise you there." Stephanie practically gasps once she writes down our orders. "How's Jack doing? He hasn't been over today."

"No complaints." I answer. The cafe only opened today after everything that happened with the Ark Cradle, so Jack is likely having caffeine withdrawals by now.

"That's good, tell him I said hi."

"Will do." Stephanie goes to walk away. She turns back to look at me.

"Have you done something with your hair?" She squints at me. I didn't really do anything, it just grew unnaturally fast by itself.

"Nah, just grew it out." She keeps her gaze fixed on me, before shaking her head. Her aura lightening up.

"It looks nice like that." She finally walks away, leaving us.

Raiden and I go back to our staring contest. I drum my fingertips on the table, waiting for him to say something. He suddenly starts blinking really fast, as if he's thinking of what to say.

"You invited me here, you might as well say something."'

"Hey, if you're gonna hold hands, at least do it on top of the table." Shinji's voice interrupts us. "I was the first person Kaoru told about this, so like I feel offended that you're hiding this now." We both look to their table. Takumi grins at me, gesturing to his hand holding Kaoru's on top of their table, while Kaoru hides his face in embarrassment.

"So you told Shinji and not me? I see how it is." I block out any response by staring right at Raiden. "So continue."

"Well," Raiden holds down at his folded hands before looking up at me again. "I'm sorry for what happened between us. I've put you through a lot, that you didn't deserve. I have a lot of issues that I haven't resolved and I took that out on you- no, everyone- and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me-"

"I don't." Raiden looks at me wide-eyed. "I did not deserve what you did to me. You were horrible. I'm still dealing with the issues you caused me. I am not okay with this. I am not going to forgive now, not after everything."

Raiden seems floored by what I said. Stephanie places two mugs in front of us. He mutters a thanks, and I do too. I feel the guys a few tables over tense.

"Okay," is all he says. He takes a sip of his coffee, but makes a face like it's a little too hot for him.

"I told you this already. I refuse to let you control my life anymore. I need to let myself  _not_  forgive you. Some people will probably say that I need to forgive you for my sake, that it would heal me in some way, that it will make my life easier. But no." I look him right in the eyes. "That wouldn't make me feel better."

"I understand." His brows furrow. "I hoped you would, but I didn't really expect it."

"You manipulated me, used me, abused me. You tried to murder me. You tried to ruin my life several times, and tried to have Yusei murdered. The fact you even hoped is surprising."

"That's fair." He takes another sip of his coffee, regardless of the fact that it's still too hot for him. I take a sip of mine. Bitter, just like me.

"Why are you really here?" I ask. "You tried apologising to me before, that was clearly an opener for something."

"You're right." Raiden's cup makes a little clatter as he puts it back on the saucer. "I have two things to talk to you about."

"Oh boy, here we go." I roll my eyes. His face scrunches a little, so I make my face look a little more serious, a little.

"I've decided to go for therapy." He folds his fingers together and fiddles with his thumbs. Yusei does the same thing, I realise. "I don't want to go alone to my appointment, I'd appreciate it if you went with me." He raises his hand once he sees that I'm going to respond. "Now, you don't have to. You can just leave me at the door, but I want someone to go with me. I know I need this. I need help, and I think you do too."

"Who are you going to see?" I take another sip of my coffee. "You are a psychic, you could get rejected at the door. Not to mention, you were involved in some pretty illegal stuff. The same goes for me."

"You remember Dr. Nico Rodriguez?"

"How could I forget?" I roll my eyes. "I saw him a while ago, looks like he won't forget me too soon either. How many times did we have to bang on his door because I got stabbed too much?"

"Too many." Raiden laughs easily and I'm reminded of a simpler time. I think he is too, because his face falls with a twinge of regret. "But yeah, apparently his sister Elena is a therapist now, so I'm going to her. I reckon she knows the deal with psychics and gangs."

"That's good. I really need to go." I look over Raiden's head into the inside of Cafe la Geen. "Got a lot of stuff to work through."

"We all do." Raiden sighs. "You're not special."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but like, I have memories from another lifetime and I struggle with who I actually now as a person, so don't start this please."

"I didn't mean it like that." Raiden puts his hands up in self defense. "I don't want you to feel like you're the only person with issues. You have a serious problem, yes, but everyone else's problems are still valid and worth acknowledging."

"Yes, I know that." I roll my eyes. I can't believe Raiden, of all people, is giving me a lecture. As if I haven't been trying to help with Yusei's problems, and Kaoru's problems, and Kenta's problems. If anything, I should be telling  _him_  this. "I'm not stupid."

"I know that, Yuuka."

"I have a question for you." I glance up at him for my cup. "What will happen to the gang territory? I refuse to go back to that life now."

"Nothing." Raiden says. "For the first while, it might be a bit rough. But it will calm down. You won that territory, not through dueling, but convincing them that a life without gangs is better. That says a lot. They listened to your message. I talked with some of the gang leaders. Their underlings understand that too. Everything's been resolved now. Some random attempts at power may happen. Without the old leaders, it won't very long. I promise you if anything starts, I will finish it."

I feel the eyes of Takumi, Shinji and Kaoru on me. Can I trust him? That's the question they're asking me. I look Raiden in the eyes. I don't see that power-hungry leader, I just see the man who used to be.

"Thank you," is all I say. "Now what's the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, going off that, I thought about what you said in the Ark Cradle."

"What I said?" I echo.

"Yes." Raiden folds his hands up again. "You said, rather than changing the past, you wanted to create a better future for psychics. I've been thinking about that ever since. Wondering what that future could be, for us… for everyone."

"I don't even know the answer to that." I respond, trying to absorb the fading warmth for my mug.

"Well, I think I have the answer." Raiden leans forward ever so slightly. "I want to set up a school for psychics. I realised that the biggest problems for psychics is that neither themselves, or their parents, know what to do once they find out. Setting up a school would mean that they have options. We'll teach them to control their powers, work to get rid of the stigma that goes along with it. That's what my answer is. What do you think?" Having gotten his piece out, Raiden leans back in the chair more. He shifts like he's crossing his legs underneath the table.

"We?" I ask.

"Yeah, we'd use some of the gang money to get started. I have my eye on this little place and-"

"Raiden, what do you mean by  _we_?" His eyes grow wide.

"I just thought since-"

"Raiden, there is no  _us_  or  _we_." I sigh. "I can't do it."

"Before our duel in the old Black Flag base, I kissed you and told you that I love you." Raiden reaches for my hand across the table. He holds my right hand in both of his, I shrink my left arm back. I look him in the eyes. His eyes glow like they did when we first met, before everything got to his head. "I meant it, Yuuka. I love you more than I thought was possible. I know we skirted on this before, but now looking back, I can see how wrong I was. I'm being straight with you here, I don't know what to do without you and I want you by my side."

Hold on.

I must be dreaming.

This can't be right.

I retract my hand slowly.

"Raiden, you had your time and you missed it." I gulp as his face falls. "I've moved on, and I think you need to as well."

"Yuuka, I-"

"Don't." I sigh. "It's just easier for both of us. Maybe there was a time when I thought I had those feelings for you. Then. everything started to go wrong. I've moved on. I found Yusei again. I love him more than anything in this world and beyond, and I know he feels the same way. I'd never give him up for anything. That's the truth of it. I'm sorry, Raiden."

Raiden leans back in his chair, hand over his mouth. I glance over at the other table, and manage to make eye contact with Kaoru, Takumi and Shinji. They all look pretty done with Raiden's shit, also ready to kick his ass, but that's another story.

"Well," Raiden finally speaks up. My gaze focusing back on him. "That's…  _something_."

"It's not a bad idea." I say, changing the topic. "But that's not me. I'm not a teacher, and I know that. Kaoru came to me once. He was looking for help, wanting me to teach him to control his powers. I couldn't do it. It's just not who I am. You know that. If you think that's your path, I wish you the best, but it's not for me and I won't join you."

"That's fair, I guess." He taps his hands on the table three times. "Well, I suppose I better get going then."

"Raiden, don't feel like you need to-" He holds his hand up, stopping me. I know I hated him and that I wanted to kill me, but I still feel bad.

"No, I get it." He reaches into the pocket inside his blazer. He throws a heavy envelope onto the table. He lowers his voice. "That's for you. Minus the money for the school, that's what's left of the Black Flag money. You can do whatever you want with it, it's yours. I wish you and Yusei the best of luck in whatever you two end up doing. This is it, I suppose. Goodbye Yuuka."

Raiden throws enough money for both of our coffees plus what I imagine is a reasonable tip on the table, then promptly leaves, sticking his hands in his pockets. I look behind me as he walks off, heading in the direction of his mother's shop. I turn back, staring at the empty mugs in front of me.

Shinji comes over to me and picks up the envelope, feeling the weight of it in his hand. Takumi comes over and asks what it is.

"No idea." He replies, as he sets it back down.

"It's a butt plug, I bet that's what it is."

"It's obviously not that." Shinji rolls his eyes. "It's probably money."

"Well, she looks a little sick and knowing Raiden, that would do it."

"Ew, why would it be one of those?" Kaoru asks.

"Takumi can explain it to you, I'm not going to be the one." Shinji crosses his arms, eyes widening a little.

I get up myself and walk back to Poppo Time as fast as I can, envelope in hand. I hear Shinji call after me but I ignore him.

"Do we need to go over there?" Jack says the instant I walk back in, his body is tensed like he's ready to go.

"No, he left."

"What's with the envelope?" Crow asks.

"Raiden left me the last of the Black Flag money." I hold it up, looking at how thick the envelope is. I'm trying to imagine how much is in there. "Don't know how much it is." Crow walks up to me to get a look at it.

"Far more money than I've ever earned in my entire life."

"Same," I answer.

"Are you going to open it?" Yusei gets up from his spot on the couch.

"No."

"No?" Everyone starts staring at me intently.

"I don't want to know. I don't even know what to do with it." I fiddle with the envelope in my hands. "I need to figure out when I'm doing now before I can decide that."

"I suppose you're right." Crow puts his hand to his mouth. "Speaking of which, what  _are_  you going to do now?"

"I don't know." I shrug my shoulders and walk up the stairs. I go directly to Yusei's room and stick the envelope under his mattress. I go straight back down the stairs, and all but throw myself at Yusei. I hear the door open, and he's basically in the door before I'm yelling at him.

"Piss off Takumi, what do you want?" I raise my voice so I know he hears it.

The pair of footsteps stop dead in their tracks.

"How did you know it was me?"

"She probably felt me coming." Kaoru answers, and walks down. I sit up on the couch, staring at Takumi's face. "You were just over in Cafe la Geen with her."

"That can't be right." I fix myself so I'm sitting on the couch properly.

"What are talking about?" Takumi moves over so he standing next to the couch.

"I read your aura." Takumi's eyes bulge.

"I-I thought you could only read the auras of psychics." He stammers.

"Not true." Shinji answers. "She can read mine, and I'm not a psychic."

"It wasn't just you two." I continue. "Everyone in Team 5D's, and Stephanie too at Cafe la Geen just there."

"Wait what?" Yusei's eyes scan my face. Everyone's staring at me.

"That's strange." Crow's brows furrow. "Then, what exactly is an aura? You said it was the energy surrounding a psychic, but clearly that isn't the case."

"I was wrong." I look up to the small windows in the garage. I close my eyes and feel everyone walking around. "It's the energy surrounding everyone. I mustn't have been strong enough to feel it before. Of course, psychics and Signers are stronger, but everyone has one. I talked with Bommer when I went to Peru about auras. I think I understand now. Auras are people's spiritual energies. Psychics are more in tune with their spiritual energies because they're using that energy to materialise monsters and use their powers. Signers were literally chosen by fate and the Crimson Dragon. We were all connected to fate and our spiritual energy, but more so. That's why I felt Shinji's aura. He changed fate by saving _my_ life, so his aura became stronger to me. It makes sense now."

"Okay, I'm going to nod and agree cause I didn't understand any of that." Takumi looks at everyone else in the room.

"Agreed." Shinji adds.

"I don't know, that was pretty sound logic to me." Kaoru shrugs his shoulders.

"You know what? I don't need this. I'm gonna go take a nap." I sigh, standing up and going back to Yusei's room again.

I sit on the bed, throwing my head back, and stare at the ceiling. I try and clear my head. Clearing my head only makes me feel worse. Crow's question about what I'm going to do next keeps flying around my head. I hear the door open and close, then the bed squeaks slightly when Yusei sits beside me. "What do you think? What  _am_  I going to do now that everything's over?"

"That's for you to decide, Yuuka." He scoots closer to me so that our arms are touching.

"What are  _you_  doing?"

"I had an idea." Yusei sighs, but I bump his shoulder, urging him to continue. "I want to make sure that their bad future never happens." I don't have to ask who  _they_  are. "But for that, I'd need like a doctorate in Applied Physics or something, and I'm years away from that."

"Honey, I'm sure you're smart enough that they'd let you do it."

"I think you're overestimating me." He chuckles, and I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Sure honey."

"Oh, while you were gone, Ushio and Mikage came over and-"

"How long was I gone?"

"Not that long." He answers before continuing. "But they had news."

"Here we go." I groan.

"It's not that bad. They told me because I dueled Z-One and saved the City, that I'm being given the Key to the City."

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"Yeah, that's what I said." He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, apparently the higher ups wanted to do something for me since I saved millions of lives and all that."

"I guess that's fair, but the Key to the City really?"

"They can't build another Daedalus Bridge so that's what they came up with." Yusei slides his arm around my waist and I lean into him.

"I need a dress." I suddenly realise. "Oh god, what am I going to wear? How fancy is it do you know? Is it black tie? I bet it's black tie."

"Probably, I don't know." Yusei shrugs his shoulder. "You complained the last time I didn't tell you about this kind of event."

"That sounds about right." I say, remembering the WRGP Premiere party. "Now to make or to buy, that is the question. But you're renting a suit or a tux, I don't care. This is a party for you, you're not showing up in that fucking riding jacket again."

"Okay, Yuuka." He sounds amused, but then I raise my eyebrows. "I know you're not joking."

"Right come on." I say, standing up. "I'm going to the fabric store to look at materials, wanna come?"

"Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything else to do."


	84. To All of You

Yusei goes to get groceries since it's his turn again. I don't go with him, instead opting to take a nap on the couch. I hear the garage door opening and closing.

"Hey Yuuka, look at this." I hear Crow's voice so I sit up cautiously, not knowing what he's planning. I honestly don't know what to think, or say, or react honestly. "What do you think?"

Crow shows off the Security uniform that he's wearing. I pout a little, trying to come up with something to say.

"Just  _why_  are you wearing that exactly?"

"I'm Neo Domino City's newest highway patroller. Do you like the uniform?"

"No."

"What? Why? Ladies love a man in uniform. Speaking of which, where is Aki?"

"You're a member of the Security team that made our lives hell in the Satellite." I stand up, looking him in the eyes. "Crow, these are the same people that oppressed us and gave us markers. Did you forget the pain those markers gave us? Crow, we spent our entire childhood running from them. How did you even join them anyway? Don't you have to go through like a bootcamp or something?"

"Calm down, Yuuka. I ran into Ushio a few days ago and I don't know, he just offered me the job because I needed money for the kids. I'll be making more money than I ever did with Blackbird Delivery."

"Even if you wanted something different than the delivery, Crow, you could have chosen any other job in this City! What was so hard about working at a till, really?"

"I think you're forgetting something, Yuuka." Crow points to the markers on his face before pointing at my own. "I can't get a better job, and neither can you. You've been unemployed since you got fired from the little boutique around the corner, and you haven't been able to get a job since. I need to make sure my kids are fed. I really need that money, and I want my kids to be provided for. It's bad enough I can't keep them under my own roof."

"But it's Security, Crow." I feel my face warming up from the anger. "They oppressed us for entire lives and now you're joining them? You're ignoring everything we've been through, like it's in the past and it doesn't matter. Don't forget you were thrown out of a shop not even a year ago because of a mark  _they_  put on your face for trying to keep yourself alive."

"If I'm remembering right, your brother is trying to sign up for Security. They're recruiting a new wave of officers, if you must know."

"Kaoru is?" I ask.

"Yeah, he wants to make sure gangs won't be a problem anymore. That's more than you're doing. You're always like this. You have these great ideas, but do you ever actually try to do anything with them? All you do is talk about how everything is unfair, well maybe you should do something to change it. You're wondering what to do with your future, well there you go, there's an idea for you." Crow sneers at me.

I don't respond to him at all. I admit, he's got me there. I've been busy, trying not to let my boyfriend die. Now, I'm dealing with the consequences of that. I've got a lot of things to deal with right now. I don't exactly have the time right at this instant.

"What's all the yelling about?" Jack starts walking down the stairs into the garage. "Why are you wearing that godsforesaken uniform?"

"Excuse you." Crow starts. "She's yelling at me because  _I'm betraying our people_  or some shit like that. I joined Security because it's the only job I can get, cause this City is fucked up."

Jack looks between the both of us, as the room is deathly silent. I know why he's not answering. He used to be Godwin's lapdog, the director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. He knows he has no right to say that Crow is betraying us, because that's what he did. He glances at me, and I can't read him at all. The door opens revealing Yusei with bags of groceries. I go to speak before Crow does, but Yusei beats me to the punch.

"I don't know what you're arguing about, but please leave me out of it."

There's a pause as we all just stare at each other. Yusei closes the door, coming into the garage. Is no one else seeing what I'm seeing? Am I just preaching ideals with no hope of achieving them? There's a bang, and a slow beep sounds upstairs.

"The power's out  _again_? That's it, I'm calling our provider."

"Crow, they can't fix it." Yusei's eyes settle on me. Hold on, is he saying that  _I'm_  the reason for the power going out?

"You know what? I'll make it easier on all of you." I sigh, walking up the ramp to the door. I look back at Crow for a split second, before going out the door.

* * *

"I've never heard of someone's hair growing that fast from their powers." Anako says, making a lot of noise as she searches through her makeup bag. "Then again, if your powers are stronger now like you said, I suppose it's not off the table." She starts applying powder to my face.

"I'm just worried that I'm not able to control my powers now."

"You've always been good at controlling your powers, so I don't see why not now?" Emiko hums, doing her own makeup.

"Yuuka's an anomaly. I don't think normal rules apply to her." Anako chuckles. Oh just wait til they see my Crimson Dragon brand, that one's gonna be fun to explain. "Hey babe, pass me the brush beside you, will you?" Emiko passes the brush to Anako, only to get rewarded with a kiss.

"Wait, hold on." I put my hand up. Anako and Emiko both grin at me.

"Surprise!" Emiko's face practically glows.

"I'm sorry, when?" My eyes move between them.

"During the WRGP." Anako answers, while using the makeup brush. "Not that you would have ever noticed. It took you five minutes to realise that I chopped all of my hair off."

"That's true." Anako's hair has been reduced to a nice little bob, instead of her old hair which went down past her chest. "But-"

"Yuuka, it took you years to learn Kaoru was gay." Anako gives me this look, and she knows that she's got me. "Like, honestly… You're the only person who ever believed him when he said he was straight."

"Speaking of Kaoru-" I start.

"No." Emiko interrupts me.

"Please." I put my hand up. "I just want to know how you went from liking Kaoru to Anako."

"Oh I love that story." Anako chuckles.

"Fine." Emiko rolls her eyes. "You know I liked Kaoru for years, like bam there's puberty and romantic feelings. He kind of liked me back. We skirted around the idea for years. We technically went on like a few dates, the Fortune Cup, skating, y'know. Nothing ever actually happened. One day, Anako appears saying that she's helping him control his powers." Anako grins. "I thought she was after Kaoru herself, and I was really jealous. Honestly, I hated her."

"Me? After  _Kaoru_?" Anako bursts out laughing. "More unlikely than you think."

"Then, one day, out of nowhere, Kaoru wants to tell me something, really serious. He likes this guy, Takumi, and he's really confused. He never even considered dating guys until then. I knew my chance with him was completely  _gone_. I thought I could give Anako a chance, since y'know, neither of us were getting him. Then, surprise, Anako's a lesbian."

"Lesbian?" I turn to look at Anako who's rooting in Emiko's drawers for more makeup. "I thought you were bi."

"Raiden Kimura made me a lesbian."

"That's fair." I respond.

"I'm convinced you'd be a lesbian if it weren't for Yusei."

"You come into Emiko's house and drag me like that." My eyes widen a little, knowing she's probably not far off the truth. "How dare you."

"Anyway," Emiko continues, "on with the story. I was like, okay, we're gonna be on a WRGP team together, so I might as well clear the air. So, I did. Now, we're dating." She lifts her arms up in praise.

"I want details, woman."

"She kissed me after we lost that match against Team New World without thinking." Anako chuckles, going back to applying even more makeup to my face. Anako has this soft look on her face that I've never seen before. "Most adorable thing I ever saw. We start talking. I mean I had liked her from pretty much the beginning, but she fell big time and then that happened. We made it official when we were running from the Ark Cradle. Nothing like the threat of death to spark a romance."

"It's so cute and gay, I love it." I blurt out.

"Yep, it's gay alright." Emiko chuckles to herself.

"What do you think about all of this?" Anako asks. "I'm curious. Like Yusei being given the key to the City, I know you'd definitely have an opinion about that. You'll take any opportunity to complain about the higher ups."

"I don't know what to think, but you are right there." I sigh. "I actually think it's coming from the right place, but still, it's not good enough. It doesn't change anything for the Satellites in this City."

"You're right there." Anako hums as she starts blending.

"Now, my question is why are you two going to the ceremony?"

"To support you, obviously." Emiko slaps my shoulder with the handle of her makeup brush from the other end of her desk. "It was my dad's suggestion, actually. Y'know, since he's a politician, he told me about it before they even told Yusei." I try to count back the days to figure out how that makes sense. I suppose it's been like three weeks now since the Ark Cradle fell. That's enough time to organise something like this, right?

"Thank you for doing this." I say.

"We're your friends." Anako raises her eyebrows. "As much as you neglect hanging out with us to cuddle your boyfriend."

"I'm feeling personally attacked right now."

"You should." Anako goes digging in the makeup bag again. "Okay, it's eyeliner time, shut your trap."

I stay silent as Anako applies eyeliner, doing as she says. She uses some mascara. Then, she steps back. She puts some lipstick on me, then nods. She grabs the mirror in front of Emiko, which scoffs putting her eyeliner down. Anako puts the mirror in front of me. I actually to conceal the gasp. I'm not terrible at makeup so to say, but I'm definitely not a makeup artist. Having your makeup done by somebody who actually knows what they're doing is a completely different thing altogether. I feel beautiful. Most of my hair is pulled back into a high bun, courtesy of Emiko, while my bangs are left out. I look soft and elegant somehow.

"Oh I look gorgeous, thank you so much." I mutter.

"We can't have you going to a party in your honour not looking your best, can we now?" Emiko laughs, turning to look at me. I notice that her makeup is finished now.

"I guess so." I chuckle, feeling oddly embarrassed. The party is hardly in my honour, but I am his plus one. "But really guys, thank you for doing this."

"Don't worry about it." Anako puts her hand on my shoulder. "You need it after everything that happened." She meets my eyes. There's an understanding there. I never went into detail about what happened, nor did I mention Raiden. I think she's been there herself, no supernatural bullshit, but she's felt it alright.

"Nothing makes me feel better like putting on some makeup so I look pretty. Putting makeup on for boys, who?" Emiko chuckles. "I put makeup on for myself, maybe a pretty girl but that's it."

"That's me, I'm the pretty girl." Anako says, starting to finish her makeup. She only has to add the last finishing touches.

"Such an ego." I comment, which gets a laugh.

"Yuuka, you can go put on your dress in my bathroom if you want." Emiko tilts her head in the direction of her ensuite bathroom.

"That would be an idea." I say, retrieving my dress from where it's hanging in Emiko's wardrobe, covered by a bin bag so I could transport with no issues. I close the bathroom behind me. I struggle getting the bag off the hanger, but eventually I do, folding it and putting it on the counter. I sigh, taking off my t-shirt and jeans, putting them in a pile on the floor.

I take my time putting on the dress. A floor-length red chiffon dress with a high neckline. I saw Yusei's eyes go straight to the material when we were in the fabric store, so I, obviously, bought a lot of it. It felt weird making clothes after so long. I made the pit crew jackets for the twins, but aside from that, it's been a while. Sometimes, I swear I forget that I used to be a seamstress. It feels like a lifetime ago, not literally. The other Yuuka didn't have my flair for sewing. She didn't have Martha teaching her how to sew. That's one thing that separates me from her. I like to list everything like that. For example, scramble eggs aren't my favourite kind of eggs, and I don't think dark chocolate is as bad as everyone says it is.

I fiddle with the zip for a while, trying to pull it up myself. This doesn't work, I put the zipper too low for the length of my arms. You think I would have thought of this when making it, but no, life can't be easy for once. I sigh, pinching the dress over so it doesn't fall down. I open the door again. Anako and Emiko, who are already in their dresses, look at me with raised eyebrows. Emiko, realising my problem, helps me with the zip.

"Here, you're allowed to kiss in front of me." I roll my eyes as Emiko finishes zipping up my dress. I look over my shoulder and don't see my Crimson Dragon brand scar in the mirror, which makes me feel relieved. "You don't have to wait for me to go to the bathroom, y'know."

"She's still shy, leave her alone." Anako chuckles. Emiko, meanwhile, looks flustered. I take a good look. Emiko went for her usual silky straight hair with a deep purple, off-the-shoulder dress. While Anako curled her now-short hair, paired with a tight trumpet-style black dress with an open back. Surprisingly, I don't feel over or underdressed.

"Should we go over now?" Emiko looks over to the alarm clock on her nightstand. I slip on my silver kitten heels. "I don't want to be late."

"I'll text Yusei and see what he's doing." I go over to the desk and pick up my phone. "Oh." He's already texted me, saying that him and Crow are heading there. Jack was taking too long getting ready so they left him. That sounds about right. Aki should be leaving soon, she's helping the twins get ready. "Yeah, they're on their way there."

"Alright." Emiko starts shoving lots of things into her clutch bag.  _Just in case,_  she says. I'm pretty sure she won't need half of that, but I don't say anything. Neither does Anako actually. I pull on my white evening gloves, that rise up above my elbow. "My dad ordered a limo for us. He gave me the number, he just said that we have to call them when we're ready."

"Limo?" I whisper to Anako as Emiko tells the driver that we're ready.

"Apparently, he only got it once he heard that you were getting ready with us." Anako raises her eyebrows. "Don't know what that's about."

"I'm an old friend of hers, I suppose." I'm not wrong, but I know there's more something more than that.

"Okay, he'll be at the door in a few minutes." Emiko leads us out of her room, down the long corridors of her house. It's deathly silent, I realise. It reminds me of Aki's house that way. Horribly lonely.

By the time we get to the door, the limo is already there. We slip into the limo. I spend most of my time looking around the limo, ignoring the conversation. The drive is relatively quick, I imagine there's not much traffic. Then again, I'm nearly certain there's not much distance between Emiko's house and the venue, the City Hall, to which I've never been. The limo pulls to a stop, there's a pause and the driver opens the door for us. Emiko and Anako get out first, then I follow. I look up at the City Hall, towering up over me, casting its shadow. I follow behind Emiko and Anako, who are linking arms and chatting away. We walk up the stairs to the entrance. I look around for anyone that I know. I feel relieved when I spot Yusei's hair in the crowd, just outside the door, not that it would be hard to miss. I catch his eye and he smiles. I pick up my pace a little so I reach him quicker.

"Hello, are we waiting for the others?" I greet Yusei and Crow.

"Yep, Jack is supposed to be on the way now too." Yusei says. "Finally." He mutters under his breath.

"You're looking well, Yuuka." Crow gestures at all of me. There's a slight hint of awkwardness between us since we haven't patched things up after I told Crow that he's betraying us. I'm not  _wrong,_ so I'm not apologising.

"Thanks." I chuckle. "It's weird seeing you guys in formal wear." I made them rent suits for the occasion, with Yusei getting a nice tux. Crow left his hair, unsurprisingly, alone, but he just left his usual headband off.

"Hey, I think I see Aki over there." Crow darts off, without even looking back at us.

"Will they ever get their act together?" I sigh. "Were we ever that tedious to watch?"

"Probably," Yusei answers. "You look beautiful tonight." I swear I see the faintest hint of rouge on Yusei's face.

"I think you're pretty handsome yourself." I flash him a grin, and he gets a little more embarrassed. Though, I am seriously enjoying him in the black three-piece tuxedo. I get to say  _that one's mine_ , a beautiful thought.

Crow and Aki are so busy talking that they walk right past us without even noticing. The twins, who were behind them, walk up to us.

"Yusei! Yuuka!" Rua calls out to us. "Are you excited?" I smile and nod at his enthusiasm. "Cause I know I am. People are gonna recognise Yusei as the hero we know he is."

"There's so many people here." Ruka moves her head so she looks into the main reception area. I look too, and I'm practically shaking in my kitten heels just looking at the crowd.

"Let's go in." Yusei says, putting his arm out for me. I put my hand on his arm, and hold the end of my dress with the other. I feel giddy and pretty, almost like a princess being escorted to the ball. "I really like you in that colour." He whispers.

"That's why I picked it." My dress is a similar colour to the dress I wore for the WRGP Premiere Party, which Yusei is also liked. I'm noticing a trend here. "Oh dear gods." I mutter as I spot Jack next to Crow, donned in a white tuxedo.

"Here we go." Yusei whispers to me. "How soon are we allowed to leave? Cause I want to take a nap, away from them arguing."

"What do you mean you  _bought_  it?" Crow asks, eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse you, do you expect me, Jack Atlas, to show up to a party in a rented tux? I think not." I look to Yusei, who's already looking at me.

"End my suffering." He mouths to me.

"You know what, if you want to waste your portion of our winnings, sure, go ahead. Not my problem." Crow puts his hands up and turns around back to Aki, ignoring Jack.

"How's it going?" I ask Jack, to change the subject. "Is Carly here as part of the press?"

"Actually, yes." Jack crosses his arms. "Haven't seen her yet."

"She'll probably show up soon, knowing her." Especially since Yusei is here, but I didn't want to say that in front of Jack of all people.

"I suppose you're right." I spot Emiko talking with her dad not too far away. I catch Emiko's eye and she waves. Mr. Higashiyama looks over, nodding with a small smile. He starts to make his way over to us, leaving Emiko.

"Ah welcome Yuuka, Mr. Fudo." He bows slightly as he greets us. "Wonderful to see that you've arrived. The ceremony should be starting shortly. We've reserved seats for you in the front row of the main hall for you and your friends, if you'd follow me." Mr. Higashiyama leads us through the crowd, which almost seems to part for him.

"This is Emiko's dad, right?" Yusei whispers to me as we walk.

"Yup." Yusei makes a face but says nothing. Probably since he looks nothing like Emiko despite being her father. He's a touch on the tall side, despite being shorter than me, and pale, the exact opposite of Emiko. Mr. Higashiyama escorts us into a large rectangular room, filled almost completely with chairs. He leads us up the centre row towards the front, just in front of the stage. I notice the reserved signs on the first three rows. I imagine those are for the rest of the politicians who will, no doubt, show up. Yusei takes the first seat in the row, and I immediately sit down next to me, with Aki on the other side of me.

"My parents are here tonight." I hear Aki still talking to Crow. "They'll probably come over to us at some point to say hello."

"When is it socially acceptable for us to leave?" Yusei leans over and mutters. More people start coming into the room, filling up the seats. Technicians are running backwards and forwards on the stage, making sure everything is working. "Cause I honestly just wanna go home and cuddle."

"At least stay till the end of the ceremony and we'll go from there, cause I want cuddles too, holy shit." Yusei's looking at me while smiling, I don't think he's even listening to what I'm saying.

"You're beautiful." Yep, there we go, I was right.

"I think someone's in love."

"Surprise, it's me."

One of the Neo Domino City Senators walks onto the stage and all of the noise in the room gives way to silence. I put my hand over Yusei's and give it a squeeze. I'm not sure what he's actually done in his career, but surprisingly, he actually seems to be an okay guy. I remember before the unification, he got a lot of flack for claiming that Satellites are people too. Widely controversial,  _I know_. But this guy being the one to give it to Yusei makes a bit more sense.

Yusei's gaze is fixed on the stage, but I just look at him. He may not think of himself as much of a saviour. He's caused a lot of good but that will never outweigh the bad, he says. Bruno, that's what he means. The Zero Reverse, too. Z-One. He blames himself for all that. I think he's wrong. He saved me after all.


	85. High Flying, Adored

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereof." The senator has barely spoken and the crowd is deathly silent. "Our city has faced many challenges over these few short months. The challenge in accepting a long lost sector of city back into our open arms. Creating the World Riding Duel Grand Prix, elevating our homegrown talent to a world stage. The onslaught of the dueling robots known as Diablo. Finally, the Ark Cradle threatening to fall and destroy our City. But, look, we are still standing here strong today. We, as one unified people, overcame everything together. A special mention go to our police force and a select few brave citizens." His eyes run over our row. "We will continue to face our uncertain future together. We will fight any obstacle in our way, the same way we have done everything else, together."

There's a small clap from the audience. The senator has a smile on his face, as if this isn't something that is regurgitated at every speech after a tragedy. Aki claps beside me, so I join in, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Today, we are gathered to bestow a great honour to a brave citizen. The Key to the City is given to a valued member of our community, for a heroic service to our community. There are many individuals in this room to whom we could give this award, but today, we give this award to one brave man in particular." I squeeze Yusei's hand. He glance at me out of the side of his eye, quite embarrassed. "He faced immeasurable odds on our behalf. He fought with his life on the line to guarantee a better future for us all. Because of this man, we all here to fight another day for a better future. This man, born in the Satellite, fought for equality for the people of the Satellite, resulting in the construction of the bridge that connects our own City to the Satellite. Now, he has saved our people once again. Welcome to the stage, Yusei Fudo!"

There's a thunderous applause. Yusei's eyes widen and dart towards me. I smile and nod my head. I put my hand on his back. He slowly stands up. He waves to the crowd awkwardly, and makes his way onto the stage. I have to suppress a chuckle.

The senator opens the decorative box containing the key, which is only a symbol if anything. He shakes Yusei's hand while handing him the box with the other hand. His eyes are firmly placed on the crowd as the flash of cameras sound. The audience continues to clap, with a few cheers. The senator comes back to life as he stops posing for the cameras. He gestures from Yusei to the giant podium beside them. Yusei looks between the senator and the podium, then to me. I nod, and he cautiously stands up at the podium.

"Thank you, Senator Takahashi and everyone, for this award. I feel undeserving of this award." There's a small hint of gasps from the crowd. "This award was presented to me, but it could have been given to any number of people. I am being given this award because I dueled Z-One in an attempt to save the City. I could not have won that duel without the help from my Team 5D's teammates. They are just as deserving of this award as me. Anyone could have taken my place. I just wanted to save my home, Neo Domino City. Who's to say that anyone here wouldn't have done the same in my place?" Yusei looks down at our row and meets my eye. There's a beat of silence. "Neo Domino City, if I may be honest, I did not save the City." Audible gasps sound around me. My eyes widen. Oh gods no, please don't do this to me. "I dueled Z-One. I may have won the duel, but I did not save the City. The Ark Cradle continued to fall. Z-One, as his last act in this world, gave up his life to stop it from falling. With that, he allowed us to take our future with our own hands. I was not the one who convinced Z-One to let us take control of our future." Aki puts her hand on my arm. I bit my lip, here we go. "Yuuka Sasaki." I put my hands on the side of my face to block everything else except the clutch bag on my lap. "She was the one who saved the City. She did what I could not. She saved the City, not with Duel Monsters, but with her courage and words. She is the one deserving of this award."

The room is dead silent. Nobody knows what to think. I feel the aura of every single person in this room, and they are confused to say the least. I look up at Yusei, who's looking back at me. His eyes tell me that he's sorry. Senator Takahashi's eyes go past me, looking right behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Mr. Higashiyama who's looking right at me. Senator Takahashi nods. He makes a move towards the podium. Yusei steps down, waiting just a few steps away from it.

"Thank you, Mr. Fudo, for your speech. My colleagues and I agree that your bravery in the face of such danger in your fight for all of our futures is still warranting of this award. But, we invite Ms. Sasaki to speak if she wishes."

Every pair of eyes in the room turn to me. I feel my face flush, I probably match my dress at this point. There's a silence as everyone waits for me to stand and approach the podium. I feel frozen in place. I look at Yusei, who is looking rather sickly. I take a deep breath. If Yusei thinks I am deserving of that award, then I have no choice. I suppose I did save the City, in a way. I place my clutch bag in Aki's lap. I take a deep breath, and rise to my feet.

"Welcome Ms. Yuuka Sasaki to the stage." The crowd erupts into a thunderous applause. The sudden height the stage gives is terrifying. My eyes meet Yusei's as I walk across the stage. He smiles at me. Admittedly, it relaxes me a little. Senator Takahashi gives me his hand as I step up at the podium. I look out onto the crowd. This is not my Neo Domino City. These are politicians and people rich or famous enough to be here, far from the working class that I know and love. I take a deep breath. I look at my friends in the front row. They are my Neo Domino City.

I try think of something,  _anything_  to say. This was thrown on me at a moment's notice, because Yusei just had to admit that he thinks I'm the one who saved the City. Even though, if you asked me, I'd say it was a team effort. Yusei softened Z-One up, I'm the one who just happened to say the right words.

"People of Neo Domino City, I hesitate to call myself the saviour of this City. I am only a normal girl from the Satellite. I grew up in this City, it's shaped me into the person who stands before you now. Everything I've experienced here has led me to where I am now, to say those words to Z-One when I stood on the Ark Cradle as it fell. I agree with Yusei. Anyone here in this room could have saved this City. I am not unique. I am ordinary, unimportant. I am undeserving of the attention which you give me now. Anyone from this City, who's been where I have been, who's felt what I have felt, could have said those same words. I love this City. If any of you listening, love this City like I do, you could have been here instead of me. All of you are just as deserving as me of that title. As for the uncertain future, you will, no doubt, look to us. We saved you once, so we can save you again. That thought will surely cross your minds. But I say this to you, do not ask us to save you,  _ask each other_." I look towards the cameras in the back of the room, no doubt filming me. "I think we are all deserving of that title. Every single person has the chance to change fate. You must grasp it with your own hands. You can prevent another Z-One from rising again. Saving only one person could change everyone's future. If someone had saved Z-One in his doomed future, I would not be speaking in front of you now. The only way to prevent the terrible future Z-One spoke of is to change our future. It is shaped by the people who are here now, not just a team of duelists. If you believe there is a future, you must fight for it. I ask of you, people of Neo Domino, become your own saviour. Together, we can change the future." I look back at Yusei, who smiles at me. "When they call out Yusei's name, or my name, saying that we are the saviours of this City. Know that we are only thinking of you. We are not the only saviours, each and every one of you is able to be someone's saviour. That is enough. You only need to look at me to see that is true. Thank you."

I stand still at the podium and take a deep breath. I look out onto the crowd. The room is deathly silent. A lone figure stands up somewhere towards the middle of the room. Raiden. He slowly claps. Slowly, more people join in until it's almost deafening. I bow slightly before retreating off the podium.

"Thank you, Ms. Sasaki, for your words." Senator Takahashi says as he returns to the podium. "That marks the end of the ceremony. We cordially invite you into the reception for the afterparty." The audience claps again. Then, it dissipates as everyone begins to stand up.

"Thank the gods that's over." I mutter under my breath.

"Tell me about it." Yusei answers. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think they'd pull you up."

"Don't worry about it." I shrug my shoulders. "I think I needed to get that off my chest."

"Great speech, by the way." Yusei turns to look at me. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Rude."

"You know what I mean." He rolls his eyes.

Senator Takahashi, still at the podium, glances over his shoulder and sees the two of us still on the stage. He walks down the steps of the podium and towards us. My back straightens on reflex.

"Now, if you'll follow me, you two will have interviews with the press."

"Press?" I echo, trying to hide my distaste.

"Yes, now come on child." He starts walking on without us. Yusei gives me his arm to help me down the steps of the main stage.

"Thank the gods that the press didn't ask me many questions." I whisper to Yusei as we return to the main reception area.

"That's because they never interviewed me after the WRGP." Yusei sighs. There were a lot of questions about the WRGP to be fair. I pat his arm that I'm currently holding onto.

"It's over now."

"I sure hope so." Yusei spots our friends, huddled near the table with plates of finger food piled high. He does a small wave and we start to walk over to them. I feel something graze my arm. I look back to see Mr. Higashiyama.

"Yuuka, may I speak with you for a moment?" I look back at Yusei and he nods.

"Of course, Senator Higashiyama." I throw on the title because I am surrounded by many politicians, I wouldn't want his reputation tarnished by implying I know him for reasons other than being a politician.

"Now, Yuuka." Mr. Higashiyama starts. We slowly walk through the crowd. People are starting to dance to the soft classical music playing in the background. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked to talk to you." I nod, he's right. "Well, I have a proposition for you."

"What would that be?"

"First, a dance?" He puts his arms out ready. "I feel it's only proper. Since you're best friends with my daughter and all that."

"Of course." I gingerly put my hand on his shoulder. There's enough distance between us that I'm certain that there's no ill intent in this dance. "Now, about that proposition?"

"Yes." He clears his throat, and begins to guide us in a circle. "Now, you know that the City has proclaimed Yusei as its saviour, despite his protests."

"I am aware." I was forced to talk in front of a crowd because of it.

"Yusei as King isn't as well liked as Jack Atlas was. Jack was a true King of the People, wasn't he?" I contain a sigh. I do not need to be reminded of King Jackass. He realises that I won't respond. "Yusei hasn't got that charisma that Jack had. In fact, he's somewhat infamous for rejecting interviews with the press."

"Yusei didn't ask to be King." I reply bluntly.

"Yes." Mr. Higashiyama says through gritted teeth. "Well, he doesn't quite rally the spirits of anyone that isn't a Satellite." That's classism and not Yusei's fault, that's what I'd say if I was in any other situation. "This City needs a saviour, a King to look up to. If we were to prevent that bad future Z-One spoke of, we need someone to rally the people. While Jack's approval rating has increased with the WRGP win, it still hasn't reached his old rating when he was King. Now, here is my proposition." I know what's coming and I freeze in my spot. Mr. Higashiyama manages to catch himself before he trips. "We should give Neo Domino City a queen."

"Me?" I manage to choke out.

"Yes, Yuuka." We start to move slowly again in our dance. "In return, we will give you that education plan that you proposed. Every Satellite will have an easy access to the education that they missed. The more intelligent ones will be able to apply for university through a simple assessment test, we'll fund everything. I'll even throw in a anti-discriminatory bill for you. The other Senators are in agreement, it could be done. What do you say?"

"What will I have to do?"

"Become the saviour you were intended to be." I don't look him in the eyes, instead focusing on a seam starting to fray at the top of my glove. "I saw you in that interview, you have potential. The masses could rally behind you. A guarantee that this City will work towards a future that won't end in ruin. A future I'm sure that you want. All you have to do is give us your image, a few interviews. That's all we ask, Yuuka. What do you say?"

Mr. Higashiyama pauses for a second and we stop dancing. I keep my focus on my glove. We start dancing again.

What do I do?

"Just one more thing, Yuuka." Mr. Higashiyama continues. "You would need to dedicate everything you had to this City. We can't have our saviour suddenly uprooting and going somewhere else? Or even commit a crime?" I see him staring at my marker, which is still present despite my makeup. "All we ask of you is a lifetime of service. Nothing else will do."

"What would you have me do?" Should I sell my soul? That's what I'd be doing.

"We'll pardon your crimes, though I suspect you were arrested on false charges. You can join the police force. We can keep an eye on you there. How does that sound? The saviour of the City working tirelessly to keep our citizens safe."

Security? Is he serious? I think of my argument with Crow. I would never get another job with my mark. I'll be doing something to stop the gang problem. I'll be trying to prevent that bad future from happening. I wouldn't just be standing there preaching, but I'd be practicing it too. It would put food on the table.

Not just that.

I would be protecting Yusei. If said no, they would blackmail him into it. I could get him into university  _now_. No years of waiting and doing lots of exams just to get the chance to go. That anti-discriminatory bill would help not only me, but everyone. Yusei, Crow, Miguel, all those kids at Martha's. No. Every marked person, every single Satellite. I shiver at the thought of that many people. I would be selfish to say no. I would help so many people other than me.

How could I say no?

"One thing." I mutter.

"Yes?" Mr. Higashiyama smiles.

"Throw in an anti-discriminatory bill for psychics?"

"Psychics?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"If you don't, I will refuse." My eyebrows furrow.

I may be throwing away any chance at freedom. But I am doing this for my people. I am helping hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people. I am doing it for them. If this is what I have to sacrifice to ensure that their bad future does not come to pass, then so be it.

"Fine." Mr. Higashiyama says, after a pause. "Then will you accept?"

"I accept."

"Thank you, Yuuka." Mr. Higashiyama stops our dance. He bows to me, and I force myself to do a little courtesy.

"It's my  _pleasure_ , Senator Higashiyama."

"Now if you'll excuse me." Mr. Higashiyama retreats back into the crowd. I see a group of Senators on the other side of the room, Aki's dad among them.

"Can I interest you in a dance?" I turn around to see Raiden.

"Do you have a proposition? Cause I don't want any more of those."

"Unless you consider a simple dance one." He bows for me. He puts out his hand for me. I sigh, accepting it. He pulls me much closer than Mr. Higashiyama did, but that's to be expected. "Now about that proposition…"

"Don't ask."

"Fair enough." He clears his throat. "Have you thought about what I proposed the other day?"

"Raiden, I said  _no_. I do not want to set up a school for psychics with you. I'm perfectly happy with Yusei, and besides, I think my future has been set out before me already."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"You'll see."

"Okay." He sighs. "I never get anywhere with you, do I?"

"Fine, let's just say... I've already made progress on making a better future for psychics."

"I better play catch up then." Raiden shakes his head. "I don't know what to say. I thought this would have ended differently. I thought maybe you would have agreed to stay with me, and not him. Out of all the people, you had to choose the guy that I was jealous of the most. He's lucky."

"Lucky?"

"He got you, didn't he?"

I take a deep breath in.

"Raiden, I-" I pause, not knowing what to say. "How about we don't talk about that? You lost your chance a long time ago. Nothing you can say could change my mind."

"Okay," I hear the sadness in his voice. "You'll be a great saviour."

"You heard that?"

"All of it." He stares at my face. "You're great at getting people to see your way of thinking. You've won this City over once, now you have to do it again."

"I don't think gangs and the upper class are the same." I chuckle.

"They're still people." Raiden shrugs as much as our position will let him. "Maybe you can make them not so prejudiced. We've spent our entire lives suffering because they can't see past our labels. You could change that, you realise?"

There's a moment of silence as we keep dancing. I spot Yusei off in the corner with our friends. This will be a rough one to explain. Cause I know he saw me too, dancing with two men who aren't him.

"I'm sorry for what happened, Yuuka. I was downright abusive to you, and I had no right. If there's anything I can do to make up for it-"

"There's nothing you can do, Raiden." I look up at him again, my neck straining slightly since he's a lot taller than I am. "You've done too much damage."

"Oh." We stop dancing. He lowers his arms and I do the same. "You should probably go back over to Yusei."

"Okay."

"You didn't tell me Raiden was here?" Crow points in the direction of where I just came from, his brow furrowed.

"Cause I'll go over there if you want me to." Jack adds.

"It was fine, I made sure he didn't do anything." Yusei walks over to my side. "What was that about?"

"Just talking. He still wants to do that."

"And Senator Higashiyama?"

"He was just being polite." I'm not going to tell Yusei about what happened, at least right now. He doesn't need to know. He'd insist that I go over there and say no.

"Okay." He drops the subject just as quickly as he brought it up. I think he's avoiding an argument.

"I'll tell you what he said later." I lean over and mutter. Yusei just nods, seeming a little happier.

I hear the clinking of a glass and I turn around. The crowd moves, and Senator Takahashi stands at the door on the way to the main hall.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." My hand practically dives for Yusei's. He squeezes my hand. "In addition to the Key to the City, we are going to celebrate both Mr. Fudo's and Ms. Sasaki's bravery and courage even further." I hear mumbles in the crowd. I feel Yusei turning to look at me, but I just focus on Senator Takahashi. "My fellow Senators and I would like to announce something here and now to honour our saviours."

"Yuuka, what's going on?" Yusei whispers, trying to get my attention.

"We are pleased to announce that the education system, proposed by Ms. Sasaki, shall be put into action. This system will allow any former Satellite resident to the right to free education. The government will give aid to any Satellite who wishes to start their education. It will allow a Satellite resident to begin their education at any stage, even third-level university, if they so wish."

The crowd applauds the idea. My friend have all turned to look at me.

"Keep listening." I say, putting my hand up to stop questions.

"Not only this, but the government will be drafting bills to stop any discrimination against former Satellite residents and psychic duelists inside our City. No former Satellite resident or psychic shall ever be discriminated against based on their former residence or ability to materialise Duel Monsters."

There's more applause. My friends just look more confused now. Mouths hanging open.

"Now, let us raise a glass to the woman who made this possible. To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki! Long may our saviour queen reign! To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki!" He holds a glass of champagne up for a toast. The crowd turn to look at me, glasses in the air.

"To Yuuka!" They drone at once. I put on a fake smile and bow slightly. The crowd claps again before returning to normal. I turn around to face my friends.

"I can explain." I say before they all jump in.

"Anti-discriminatory bill?" Crow looks at me, his eyebrows practically at his hairline.

"Yeah, Mr. Higashiyama said that the government is putting it in place as a way of saying thanks. We're both Satellites after all." I try not to emote too much in case it gives me away.

"Yuuka, this is  _huge_." Aki's eyes are wide. "Do you know what this means? Between the access to education and the bill, you're changing the lives of everyone who came from the Satellite."

"Yeah, it's crazy, but yes." I hold back a sigh. "And Crow, I'm sorry about our argument the other day. I'll admit that you were right. I refuse to set aside my pride. You were perfectly right about your reasons for joining Security. You were doing it for your kids, and I understand now. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Yuuka-" Crow seems very confused by my words.

"That's why I've decided to apply for Security myself." Now, my friends' confusion levels have gone from ten to a hundred.

"You? Security?" Jack squints at me. "Why?"

"Well, I'd be doing something with my life. I can stop the gang problem in this City that way. I'm tired of being rejected for basic fast-food and retail jobs."

"You've got a point there…" Aki says, looking at Crow who's staring right back. They're onto me. I look over my shoulder to see Raiden staring at me from across the room. He has this look on his face.  _Who are you kidding?_  That's what it says.

"Excuse me for a second." I turn my back and retreat into the crowd.

"Finally got your attention." Raiden says as I reach him.

"Sorry, I actually  _have friends_  now." I glare at him a little. "You know, that one thing you were opposed to."

"Can we please stop talking about the past?" He sighs, running his hand through his hair. "You have a nice, bright future ahead of you."

"You're the one who keeps apologising for it." My eyes follow a member of the waiting staff who walks right by me with a tray full of champagne glasses. "Realise that I won't forgive you until you actually change yourself and do something good for the world."

"It's Yuuka, right?" A girl right beside me takes two glasses off the tray and walks over to me. She's wearing a very tight purple dress that shows off her beautiful shoulders. She's tossed her long dark brown hair over one shoulder. My heart, admittedly, skips a beat. Then, I realise who she is.

"Y-Yeah." I mutter. She hands me a glass of champagne. I hear Raiden tut as he turns his back to us.

"I thought so." She giggles very slightly. "You're doing great things for the City, y'know." She leans into me as she's talking. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was flirting. Anako jokingly gave me tips on how to notice flirting after I said that I never noticed her flirting with me. "You're helping so many people, including myself." She moves her hair very slightly, revealing a small v-shaped marker on her neck. She's definitely who I think she is. "The name's Kyoko."

"That's my mother's name." I blurt out the first thing that comes into my head.

She blinks once.

Then twice.

Then downs her entire glass of champagne.

"I came out here to have a good time and flirt with a cute girl, and  _this_  is how I get treated." She places a hand on her cheek and looks at the ground, a little wide-eyed.

"You think I'm cute?" Kyoko looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Hey." I hear another voice behind me. Kyoko grimaces a little, so I turn around. A blond man, not much shorter than Raiden, is handing him a champagne glass while holding one for himself.

"I'm straight," is the first thing out of Raiden's mouth.

"A night with me will change that." The guy straight up winks at Raiden.

"Oh, I doubt it." The guy's face falters a little, but he still extends the champagne glass.

"I think you should accept his offer." Kyoko says, looking over my shoulder.

"Yeah, me too." I add. "You two seem very alike."

"Damn, you're right." I look back at Kyoko who nods at me.

"You know him?" I ask.

"Unfortunately." I look back to see that Raiden has walked away. "C'mon Jonathan, there are plenty more fish in the sea." Kyoko calls out to the rather offended guy, still holding two completely full champagne glasses. He comes over to us, and Kyoko takes one of the glasses.

"No thanks." I say, holding up my practically full glass that Kyoko just gave me, when Jonathan tries to offer me the other one. He shrugs his shoulders and downs more than half of the glass in one go.

"If you wanna hook up with a dude, we can go to Psycho." Kyoko suggests, drinking her second glass a little slower.

"I will honestly take anyone at this point."

"Oh I know." Kyoko sighs.

"So I'm assuming this-" he points at me with his glass, "didn't go well?"

"Yep, not happening."

"So, even though you called dibs, I'm free to try?"

"I guess so." Kyoko shrugs her shoulders.

"I have a boyfriend." I put that right out there. They turn to look at me slowly.

"Never even considered that." Jonathan puts a hand to his face.

"The cutest girls always have boyfriends." Kyoko shakes her head.

"If it makes you feel better, I  _am_  bi."

"That was obvious." They say in unison.

"Thank you." I say, accepting the compliment.

"Are we going to Psycho?" Jonathan turns to Kyoko, who nods.

"Yeah, let's go." Kyoko finishes the last of her champagne glass, slyly putting it on a tray as it whisks by. "It was nice meeting you, Yuuka. Even though it could have gone better."

"You too." I nod at both of them, then they retreat away.

I was wondering why Kyoko hadn't appeared in my life yet. I see her very clearly in the other Yuuka's memories. She's exactly the same as she was then. Right down to way her face crinkles when she smiles. It's amazing how vivid she was in her memories, yet I've only see her for an instant. I suppose that we really are different people, the other Yuuka and I. I mean, Kyoko was her first real relationship, while I had to wait for Yusei, or maybe Raiden if you care to look at it that way. It makes me feel empowered in a way. I feel like I don't have to spend the rest of my life in the other Yuuka's shadow. I am not her, and I never will be.

"Do you want me to take that for you?" A member of the waiting staff holds his hand out for my now-empty glass of champagne. My eyes meet his, then instantly go to the marker hiding behind his dark green bangs. "Wait, you're-" His eyes widen a little. He notices me looking at his marker. His entire posture relaxes. "Yuuka?"

"That's me." I mutter back in reply.

"Thank you for what you did." He runs his hand through his hair, revealing his marker without thinking. His hand jumps back down when he realises it. "I recognise you from the Satellite. You've done a great thing. I can finally go to college and become a nurse, it's what I've dreamed of since I was a little kid. It means a lot that you've done this."

"Thank you, but I-"

"Don't say you're not our saviour. That's a lie. You stand for what every Satellite believes in. A better future. If you lead us, we can prevent the future that hunk of metal talked about."

"I-" I start, but I don't finish. I see the earnest look in his eyes, so I don't dare ruin it. If my presence is enough to encourage him to follow his dreams and make a better future, so be it. "Thank you." I look over to Yusei to see Raiden with him. I freeze as I see both of their eyes on me. I start to move towards them, but the guy in front of me.

"Hey Alexis!" He does a short whistle and another member of the waiting staff comes over. Her eyes land on me and they grow wide.

"Yuuka Sasaki!" She dips into a bow really suddenly, nearly spilling everything on the tray she's carrying.

"You don't need to bow, it's fine." She rises slowly, her eyes still wide. One of her hands burst forward, grabbing mine.

"Thank you for everything you've done. You're truly our saviour, no matter what you think. You've changed our lives forever. Adrian and I can go to school now, we don't have to work three jobs that don't even pay minimum wage to afford rent. I may not have a marker like Adrian does, but this affects me just as much as he does. We can't thank you enough, Yuuka."

"Please don't thank me." I say. "I did this for my people. I'm joining Security to protect you all."

"Really?" Adrian's eyes are wide. "We really don't deserve you."

"Don't be silly, of course you do." I answer.

"We need to get back to work," Adrian's eyes soften before he looks around. He takes my empty glass. I shake my head when he offers me a new one.

"I suppose." Alexis's eyes narrow slightly. She hands Adrian her tray and fiddles with the back of her shirt. She takes off a small gold chain and hands it to me. "Take this, as thanks from the both of us."

"No, I couldn't possibly take this." I stare at the small golden cross on the necklace.

"Please, I insist. It may only be small, but I want you to have it." She takes my hand and places it in my palm and closes my fingers over it. It's a cheap chain, parts of the brown metal underneath the gold paint are starting to show through. I look at her face. Big, light blue eyes fixated on my face. She won't let me say no.

"Thank you for this." I put on my best smile for her. She nods, while Adrian all but drags her away as they return to work. I stare at them as they begin to work their way around the room.

"They love you." I don't have to even turn around to know it's Raiden. His aura is so distinctive that I would have no problems picking it out even in a crowd of psychics. Admittedly, it's harder to keep track of his aura now that I can feel everyone's.

"Who?" I respond, turning around to look at him.

"Your people."

"I don't deserve it." I answer. Raiden offers me his hand again. I take it and sigh, as we start dancing again. "They claim I saved them, yet I only did what I did for Yusei. I was being selfish, yet I'm supposed to be their saviour now."

"That doesn't matter, be who they want you to be now." His hand squeezes mine a little.

"I wish things were different." He says. "Nothing's ever going to happen between us again, I know that now."

"You're right." I say nothing more.

"Maybe in another life, where I wasn't so corrupt and power hungry, we could have been more." I see Yusei from the corner of my eye, knowing he exists makes that scenario seem more and more unlikely. I can't see why I would choose anyone over him. "I shouldn't dwell on such things. It doesn't change here and now. I just gotta keep moving forward." He's looking at my face, but I just stare at his shoulder. "Even if it means leaving you."

"So what happens now?" I mutter. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't ask." He stops dead in his tracks. Our dance ending again. He takes his hands off me.

"Goodbye Yuuka."

"What happens now?" I repeat again. People dance and move around us, seemingly unaware of us. I get the sensation of being lost in the crowd.

"I can't stay in this City anymore." Raiden looks me right in the eyes. "Everything reminds me of who I was. It's too much for me to bear. I love you, but I can never have you. There's nothing left for me here anymore. Goodbye Yuuka."

Raiden looks over my shoulder. I turn back and see Yusei moving through the crowd. I look back and he's gone. I try and sense his aura, but it's gone. Completely vanished. I close my eyes. I feel Yusei's fingertips graze my hand so I turn around to face him.

"Yuuka." He says, delicately. His eyes scan my face. "He's gone, isn't he?"

"Yeah," I nod. "But I don't care. I don't need him in my life. I've moved on."

"You have." Yusei smiles at me. I take one of his hands and put it on my waist, and intertwine our other hands. "Wait, you want us to-"

"Dance? Yes." I start guiding us. "Come on, it's easy."

"Could be worse." Yusei says as we keep moving. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"We'll have to dance at our wedding." I choke a little on my own spit, but nod regardless. My face is probably as red as my dress right about now.

"Our wedding?" I echo. "You've thought about it?"

"Yeah." He tries to keep eye contact with me, but my eyes keep darting away. "It sounds nice. Have you?"

"For a lot longer than I'm willing to admit."

"I love you." Yusei shakes his head with a smile on his face. "You know that?"

"I do, and I love you too." I nod. Yusei smiles just a bit wider. He asks if I know that he loves me at least twice a day. It's hard sometimes. But, I'm gaining some of that trust back. He tells me that he loves me more now than ever. He's reminding me, he says. I know that he loves me, deep down. I just have trust issues.

"You're not facing this alone." Yusei gently rubs my waist as we dance. "This whole saviour thing, going for Security, your trust issues, the other Yuuka's memories. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you." My head dips a little. Yusei pulls me closer as we dance, my head resting on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko and Jonathan belong to ActualNerdlord (my gf), who's own 5D's OC story will be appearing on Fanfiction.Net in the future!


	86. Closure

I hide my face in my hands as I hear my own voice on the television.  _You only need to look at me to see that is true._ What was I thinking, honestly? Yusei pats the top of my head as he watches the news broadcast. I hear my phone buzzing on the coffee table. I've counted twenty-six so far. They play some of the clips from the interview that Yusei and I did after our little speeches. It relieves some of the tension in my body, since it was mostly Yusei talking. Not even about the Key to the City, most of the questions were about the WRGP.

"It's over now. You can look now." Crow laughs before he leaves for his work shift. I sigh, and pick up my phone off the coffee table. My phone buzzes in my hand as I go to look at it, bringing my message count to thirty. I start scrolling through my messages. Anako and Emiko tell me that I looked great, thanks to them. Shinji's been sending me many texts, asking me what I'm doing on the television. Takumi's shocked that I didn't tell him that I would be doing that. Kenta just sends me lots of question marks. Miguel tells me thanks with a thumbs up, also that my dress looked nice. Felix tells me that everyone he knows is freaking about those new anti-discriminatory bills for psychics and Satellites. My phone starts ringing, Kaoru's name shows up. Couldn't he have just call me?

"Hello," I answer.

"Hey- Yes, mom, I'm on the phone with her." A pause. "No, mom. I'm talking to her now. Mom-"

"How are you doing?" I hear Kaoru sigh over the phone. "Lemme guess why you're calling me."

"Geez, I wonder why." The sarcasm is clear in his voice. "Congrats on your little speech."

"Thank you." I nod. Yusei leans into me on the couch so he can hear what Kaoru is saying. "I'm guessing Kasumi wants to talk to me."

"Yeah, but I wanna talk to you first."

"Did you ask me first?" I chuckle, and I can practically hear Kaoru rolling his eyes. "But go ahead, I've got time."

"Thanks for doing that." Kaoru says. I hear shuffling in the background. "Anti-discriminatory bills for both psychics and Satellites. You're doing something good for a lot of people. I'm proud of you. I want you to know that."

"That means a lot." I smile. "I heard you're applying for Security."

"Yeah?" His voice suddenly sounds awkward. "I was hoping that I would tell you myself."

"Why didn't you? Crow found out before I did."

"I thought you would freak." Kaoru chuckles nervously. "Yusei told me that you did that to Crow." I turn to Yusei who avoids my gaze.

"That's fair."

"So, what do you think?"

"I agree with you." I hear Kaoru mutter a  _what_  under his breath. "I think joining Security is a great idea. We could actually make a difference in this City. Keep those kids off the streets, out of gangs, y'know? Not to mention that it's a secure job too. Since Crow joined, I know they can't  _not_  hire me because of my mark. That's why I'm going to apply for the next intake of officers."

There's silence on the other end. I hear some shuffling and banging noises in the background, so I know the call hasn't dropped.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" He asks, his voice very quiet. "Did you bang your head or something?"

"Rude," I answer. "Put me onto Kasumi."

"Fine." I hear Kaoru scoff and his feet walking over the wooden floor of the sitting room.

"Yuuka, hi!" Kasumi's so loud that she's practically shouting down the phone. "I just saw the broadcast. I'm so proud of you baby!"

"Thank you, thank you." I chuckle.

"I managed to tape the broadcast. Emiko told me that it would be airing, so I got it in the end." She sighs happily.

"So you can show all of your friends."

"They already know, honey." She laughs. "They all watched the broadcast, they're very impressed."

"That's good, I guess."

"I really miss you, y'know? I barely see you nowadays. But you're too busy with your boyfriend to see your own mother."

"I'll come over sometime, I promise."

"Sure now." I can almost feel the judgement over the phone. "You said that the last time I told you that. You've basically moved in with him, why not make it official?"

"We're waiting for everyone else to move out." I laugh. We've been asked the same exact question before, and I always give the exact same answer. I was told to prepare for never moving in together. As much as Yusei likes Poppo Time, I think he'd rather his own place with me.

"Alright, alright." Kasumi sighs. "I suppose I'll let you go then. I'm sure everyone wants to get ahold of you."

"You're not wrong." I chuckle.

"Drop over sometime, okay?" She sounds rather sad. "I think the cat misses you too. She sits in front of your bedroom door at least twice a day."

"Really? I'll come over sometime this week then."

"That sounds good. I'll make you dinner, bring Yusei too. Kaoru can bring over his boyfriend."

"Okay, I'll tell him that."

"Bye, Yuuka."

"Bye." For some reason, I can't bring myself to call her mother. For years I said that I would never call her my mother because she didn't raise me, but lately, those intense feelings have gone away.

"Have you seen Jack, actually?" Yusei says, staring at the ladder going upstairs.

"No, why?"

"His D-Wheel's been gone since the party, and I don't think he's come back."

"Interesting." I nod. "If he's not back in a few hours, I'll text him. He might have gone home with Carly for all we know."

"Very true." Yusei shakes his head, slightly wide eyed.

"He's not on the asexual spectrum, but he's still valid cause at least he's not straight."

"What's being an allosexual like?"

"Honestly, no idea."

* * *

"Take a deep breath in, and close your eyes." Anako guides me through. "Focus on everything around you. Focus on your aura. Feel it moving through your body. Push it from your core, into your arms and down into your fingertips. Now, take a deep breath. Now, push your aura down into your legs and your feet."

There's a tingling sensation, more than there was before. I can feel the changes in my powers since the Ark Cradle fell. Since then, my powers have crashed a water tank, shrivelled up a bush, made the air go cold, made the power go out in Poppo Time several times, and broken a full glass of water. So, this training was very needed.

"So, I have a question." Emiko interrupts.

"And this is the time to ask it." I sigh.

"I just want to know what Z-One was like." She speaks very slowly, as if she's unsure of my reaction. "I wanted to know if he died, because I wanted him to." I flinch slightly. "But Kaoru told me to ask you that instead."

"Well, he was just like anyone I suppose." I pick at the blades of grass underneath me. Anako managed to pick a secluded region of the park. It's not the best day weather-wise, so the park isn't full of people. It will stop people coming over and asking for a photo. "He was just a normal guy before everything happened. He was a lot like my Yusei, but that's to be expected. But, they're still different people. That's the one thing to take away, I guess."

"How does it feel when people say that Z-One deserved to die?" Emiko keeps prodding. She doesn't know the full story, neither does Anako. Kaoru told them the bare minimum to keep them satisfied. "I can't imagine that's easy."

"It's not easy, you're right." I exhale through my nose. "I remember the first time I heard someone say it, I ran off in a huff. Now, I just try to explain why you can't say that about him. He may have lost his way, but he was still human before everything happened. It wasn't a hatred of humanity or this City that led him to that. It was trauma, and a  _love_  of his City."

"That doesn't excuse what he did." Anako frowns.

"I know that, but it explains it."

"Also, why did you never tell me about Raiden?" Anako's eyes squint slightly. "Cause I ran into him after the party. Apparently, you said no when he asked you to set up a school for psychics with him."

"Yeah, and?"

"I mean, you should have said no, but, I thought you would have at least told me."

"Sorry about that." I scratch the back of my neck. "I assumed you would have ran into him, he was there from the beginning of the party if my memory serves me right."

"What are you going to do, now that Raiden's gone?" Anako tilts her head. "I mean, your entire life since you joined gangs has kinda been revolving around him, if you think about it."

"I have thought about it." I cringe slightly. "I'm just gonna get on with my life, since it's the only thing I can do."

"I suppose you're right." There's a glint in Anako's eyes, like there's been a confirmation of something. She glances down at her folded hands before looking back at me. "Are we going to continue?"

I suddenly come to the realisation that everyone around me is slowly figuring out what to do with their lives. Sure I had my career path chosen for me, but am I even going to like it? Meanwhile, I'm stuck here on a set path, picking up the pieces from another lifetime.

"I guess so."

* * *

"Hold my hand." I squirm in my place. Yusei grabs my hand and squeezes it. "I can't do this."

"Of course you can."

"But what if I get in there, the words  _alternate future_  come out of my mouth, and suddenly I'm in a straitjacket headed for an asylum?"

"That won't happen."

"You don't know that."

"Yuuka, this therapist is a psychic too. Psychics are her speciality. I'm sure she's heard equally unlikely things."

"Oh I doubt it."

"Even if that isn't true, just pretend that it is."

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything."

"Okay, honey."

Once Yusei and I reach the Daimon Area by foot, I lead him down the street to Dr. Nico Rodriguez's duplex, which he works out of. He's served as the local psychic doctor for as long as I've been a psychic. Apparently, his sister has recently qualified as a therapist. Nico uses his psychic powers to help him with his patients. His sister is supposed to be a psychic too. It must run in families now that I think about it.

We enter the upper level of the duplex, in the slightly fancier area of the Daimon Area. Due to what I imagine is a lack of money, he serves as his own receptionist. We stand for a few minutes in the hall, he walks out and practically gasps at the sight of me.

"Ah Yuuka, hello again. Long time no see. Do I have to clear my afternoon schedule for you?"

"Actually, no." I chuckle. "I told you, I put those days behind me. No more stab wounds, I promise."

"Well, thank our lucky stars." Nico bows his head slightly. "You won't have to worry your boyfriend anymore."

"He'll worry no matter what I do." I punch Yusei lightly in the arm, who just deadpans.

"Hmm, interesting." Nico's looking at me like he's using his powers.

"What do you see this time, doc?"

"The last two times we've seen each other, I felt someone in your head. But, they're not there anymore."

"Oh."  _Not there anymore_. "Really?" Nico squints at me. "It's nothing."

"Alright, I don't remember you making an appointment." Nico moves towards the desk, stacked high with papers and an older-looking computer. "I'll see if I can fit you in-"

"I'm actually here to see your sister."

"Elena?" He raises an eyebrow at me, before looking at a different stack of papers. "I didn't remember seeing you in here either."

"I made the appointment the other day-"

"Hattori, Yuuka."

"Yep, that's me."

"You're going by Hattori now? Thought you were Sasaki, no?"

"Hattori's the name on my birth cert, it makes things less complicated."

"Suppose so," Nico nods. "Take a seat there, Yuuka. Yusei, you can sit here while she's in her appointment."

"Thank you." We say at roughly the same time, going into the small, empty waiting room.

"It's okay." Yusei takes my shaking hands. "I'm proud of you for getting this far."

"Thanks babe." I take a deep breath. "You're helping me a lot just by being here."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Yusei presses a kiss to my temple. I just kind of stare at his pretty face and smile.

"Hattori, Yuuka?" A rather pretty, tall woman with dark skin and hair walks into the room, holding a clipboard.

"Yes, that's me." I stand up from my seat.

"This way." She smiles at me, which calms me down a bit. Yusei gives me a thumbs up before I follow her from the room. "Take a seat." She gestures to a plush couch next to desk. I look around the room. Bookshelves filled with books, against pastel lilac walls.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Dr. Elena Rodriguez. It's very nice to meet you, Yuuka. I've heard a lot about you from my brother, Nico."

"And you too."

"Before we start our session proper, I'd like you to tell me a bit about yourself. Anything you think would be relevant, anything really."

"Where to start? That is the question."


	87. Rhythm of Love

_Five months later_

Admittedly, you get used to the stares. People already stared at me because of my mark, now it's just a different reason. Within the first few weeks of being proclaimed the saviour of the city, I had been in more interviews than I have fingers. Someone recognised Yusei, not as the winner of the WRGP or the Fortune Cup, but as my boyfriend. Something which filled him with both pride and relief. I think Kasumi told every single person she knows within six hours of the broadcast, that  _her_  daughter was the saviour of the city, along with her boyfriend. She made a point of saying that, as much as Yusei protests.

Kaoru didn't seem very surprised. Apparently, he heard some of my thoughts while I was in the Ark Cradle despite the fact that I thought that I had cut the connection. He asks me about the other Yuuka, late at night when neither of us can sleep. I think my nightmares keep him awake too, even though he never says anything. Admittedly, it calms my nerves when we talk. I don't know what I'd do if we still weren't talking. Takumi seems happy that I can at least tolerate him in the room now, even though I still gag whenever they kiss in front of me. However, the one thing that surprised both of them was the news that I was applying for the Neo Domino Police Force.

The City officials finally decided that the Public Security Maintenance Bureau was not a good idea, so they're scrapping that entirely and bringing in a mayor and a police force. The campaign for mayor is starting. Jaeger asked me to endorse him, I couldn't exactly say no. He wants to put a system in place so that Moment won't go out of control again. He told Yusei that if he's elected, he'll offer him the job in making sure that it doesn't happens. Yusei made a face, but seemed grateful. I found a letter from a European pro dueling league on his desk. He didn't tell me about it, but he hasn't opened it either. Then, Jaeger got elected. I gave another little speech. Then, I found a pile of letters in a drawer. Every single one was a invitation to some dueling league, and they were all overseas.

I can't remember the last time I saw Crow honestly. Ushio apparently promoted him to a supervisor within a matter of weeks of joining, so his hours are all over the place. Aki has consistently placed at the top of her class in everything, even English. So naturally, I haven't seen much of her either, or the twins for that matter. There's one thing that stays the same every time I see her, how neurotic she becomes whenever I ask her what's she gonna do after graduation. Crow keeps suggesting that she should go pro, which makes me think that he's gotten invitations too.

If Yusei, Aki, and Crow got invitations, then Jack definitely did too. Maybe that's why he set out just a few days after the Key to the City ceremony. I got a rather cryptic text from Kiryu, which coming from Kiryu is a normal text, placing Jack in Satisfaction Town within the last few weeks. I wish Jack would at least tell us where he was. I know he's always been distant and independent and I can't change that, but a text saying that he's still alive, or where he is, would be nice.

"Jaeger accepted my plans for the new Moment system." Yusei tells me as I accompany him on the tour of Neo Domino City University.

"Oh, I'm glad." I squeeze his hand as we're guided through the long halls of the Physics building. "You've spent- what, four months working on that? Have you decided what you're calling it?"

"Antinomy."

There's a lingering silence.

"I miss him."

"Me too."

"Here you'll find our state of the art laboratories." The tour guide stops in front of the doors. "Our Applied Physics students spend lots of time in these labs, so if you study with us, you'll get familiar with them very quickly." Surprisingly little attention is given to us despite the fact we're in the middle of the crowd being guided around the campus. The university is offering lots of tours before the applications for the academic year close. The assessment exam is in two weeks after the application deadline. Yusei is doing the trial of the new education system, as per my request. With all of his invitations from the pro leagues, I'm not entirely sure he's going to go through with it now. I think he feels a little obliged to go through with it on my part, and that's why he hasn't told me about the pro league invitations. I just want him to be happy, above all else. I don't care if he doesn't take that assessment exam or not. I just want him to love me, whether he's physically at my side or not.

Going pro means going long distance.

That's the thought lingering in my head. The best league that's offering him a place is in Europe. Italy, if I'm remembering right. That's a long way away. What is it? A eight hour time distance? That's  _too_  much.

"We have some demonstrations going on today for our open day, if you'd like to join me." The tour guide opens the door going into the labs.

"I need to go to the bathroom, text me if you leave the labs." I say, patting Yusei's arm.

"Okay babe."

I don't remember seeing a bathroom in the last few minutes so I continue down the corridor. Somehow, I manage to end up in a totally different end of the building, filled with computer labs. There seems to be talk ending in one of the labs, judging by the swarm of people coming out of one of them. I spot a familiar mop of bright red hair in the crowd. I move through the crowd in his direction.

"Miguel!" I call out. His head whips around towards me with a smile.

"Hey Yuuka." He waves as I reach him.

"Yuuka?" I hear Kenta ask.

"'Sup." I greet both of them.

"What are you doing here?" Miguel squints at me slightly. "Last I heard you were joining the Police Force."

"Yusei?" Kenta tilts his head.

"Yeah, he's looking at this school's Applied Physics programme."

"That sounds about right." Kenta nods. "I forgot to ask, how did your entrance exams for the Police go?"

"I think I did okay."

"With Kaoru helping you, I imagine so." He chuckles.

"We didn't cheat." I throw my hands up. "That was the deal we made with each other."

"Are you sure?" Miguel raises an eyebrow and laughs. "You would never have gotten caught."

"Yes, I'm sure." I look towards the labs. "Are you applying for the Computer Science course, Kenta?"

"Yeah," he scratches the back of his neck. "I've been meaning to for a while, to be quite honest. Now that the whole Team Liberation stuff is over, I thought I would just go for it."

"Wow, I'm proud of you." I punch his arm softly.

"You got any plans, Miguel?"

"Actually,  _yes_." His eyes light up. "You know the way Reika and Shinji are opening up their own garage?" I nod in response. " _Well_ , Reika asked me to be one of the mechanics."

"Oh shit, that's so cool." I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. "I should probably get back to Yusei. So, I'm gonna leave you two to your own devices. Good luck guys!" I wave to them as I go back the way I came. They start to wave back, then I realise. "Wait a minute, I came this way to go to the bathroom."

"Yuuka, the girls' bathroom is right behind you." I look back down the now-empty corridor sheepishly, following where their fingers are pointing.

"Shut up, Kenta."

* * *

"Shinji, why are you dragging me into the jewellers?"

"You'll see." He answers, literally dragging me into the shop. He stops in front of the counter full of engagement rings. I bite my lip as I look at the nice rings, then at their price tag. If only I had money.

"Wait,  _engagement_  rings? You're not- No way!" I punch his arm.

"Shh, yes. This is happening."

"Does Reika know you're gonna do it?" I hold my hands over my mouth in excitement.

"I haven't told her yet." Shinji has such a big smile on his face, and his royal purple eyes are glowing with excitement. It's times like this where the differences between Shinji and Raiden are like night and day, despite them being cousins. "I want you to help me pick out a ring, cause I also wanna ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead." I answer, very confused. "As long as you're not asking me to marry you." Shinji just makes a face and doesn't respond to my comment.

"If she says yes, I know it's a bit weird, but I want you to be my best man. I know you're not a guy, but you could rock the tux."

"Oh my gods." I gasp. "I would be honoured to be your best man. I will gladly rock that tux and high, tight ponytail look."

"Don't forget bright red lipstick."

"Damn, you're right."

"Okay, before all that, I have to pick out a ring-"

"Lemme guess, you asked the best person to find you a bitching ring on a budget."

"Exactly."

"That being me."

"Yes," he chuckles. "You, probably, know what feminine-ish people like, so I need your help."

"Reika is more about the simpler, plain things, so pick a ring that goes with that. Maybe like one stone, preferably diamond, in like silver or white gold. I mean, if you wanna go for something with a bit more  _wow_ -factor, you could go for like a twist or maybe like a-"

"In a language I can speak please." Shinji rolls his eyes.

"There's a double twist, and there's a triple mounted." I point at various rings in the display, probably out of his budget, judging by his face.

"Maybe something in that end of the display." Shinji moves my finger so it points to the cheaper end of the display. In fairness, the rings I was pointing to would make a dent even in the wad of money left to me by Raiden.

"What about that one?" I point to what looks like a single diamond in a white gold ring twist. It's price is pretty reasonable, especially compared to the other rings.

Shinji's face softens just a little bit. There's a smile on his face. I feel like I'm watching something entirely too intimate and I have to draw my eyes away from it. I glance out the window, only to meet Crow's eyes as he walks past the shop. In that brief second, I could see the confusion in his eyes as he saw me standing in front of engagement rings. That'll be fun to explain later. He won't listen to me, and there'll be a barrage of jokes. I can almost hear them now.

"That's the one." Shinji says, barely above a whisper.

"I can tell." I answer. He looks at me, confused. "I could see it in your eyes." Shinji calls the attention of the man behind the counter. I stare at the other engagement rings as they talk and work through the payment of it. As much as I would want Yusei to be the one to propose to me, I feel like it would be the other way around. But still, the romantic in me can't help but dream.

"So, how are the plans for the garage coming along?" I ask as we leave the jewellers.

"Great. We found a nice place, not too far from her mom's house. We've already signed the lease. We asked Miguel, you know Miguel from the Phantom Riders-"

"Kenta's Miguel?" I smirk. "Oh I know him well."

"But yeah, he's gonna be one of the mechanics. You were there when Reika asked Yusei to be one as well, right?"

"Yep, he's still flattered but the answer is still no." Yusei told me to say if this exact topic came up.

"Reika said it's a shame. She said he's too talented to not become a full time mechanic."

"He already has enough on his plate. He's got some invitations from some big name dueling leagues."

"I can imagine." Shinji chuckles. "You know I actually got one?"

" _No way._ " I squint my eyes a little. I know his team got to the semifinals, but Shinji actually ended up getting the least amount of airtime out of the four person team.

"Yeah, I was shocked too. Turned it down. I've wanted to set this garage up with Reika for years, I wasn't letting that get away from me."

"I can imagine." I nod my head. "I remember when Kaoru got some invites. You should have seen the look on his face. He still thinks your loss against Team New World was his fault."

"I know." He sighs. "But that's Kaoru for you. He turned that down for the Police. You two don't even know if you got in yet, right?"

"Yep, we should be told in the next few days if we've been accepted or not. Then, we gotta go to bootcamp for a while, then we're officially police officers."

"Still can't believe. Yuuka Sasaki, a  _police_  officer." Shinji laughs a little while shaking his head.

"Literally everyone has the same reaction." Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of it.

"I can imagine." He shakes his head. "Emiko accepted her offer, so she's heading to England after she graduates."

"As she was telling me." I nod along. "Then, Anako's training to become a dueling teacher now. She's off somewhere too probably. She told me that she realised that's what she needed to do when she helped Kaoru to control his powers, you know that?"

"Yep," he nods his head. "It's crazy how stuff plays out like that."

"I feel like everything's changing." I say suddenly, stopping dead in the middle of the street. "Everyone's just suddenly getting on with their lives."

"Yeah," there's a sad smile on Shinji's face. "At least you're stuck with Kaoru."

"Yeah, but that means Takumi's never too far away."

"You really need to stop with that." Shinji laughs. "You're too salty, you know that?"

"I am made with pure salt, what are you talking about?"

"Shit, you're right." Shinji keeps laughing, and starts walking again so I follow him.

* * *

I hear the door open and close in the garage, as Yusei returns with the groceries. I stay where I am on the loveseat in the kitchen, with my book. He comes up into the kitchen, and places the grocery bag on the counter. I ask him about his trip, he doesn't go into much detail.

"Another invitation?" He placed the letter onto the counter as he set the bag down. "What are you doing to do about them? You can't just let them sit and hope they go away."

"I don't know." Yusei sighs. "I have a lot of options in front of me."

"Yusei, I told you if you don't wanna to go to univers-"

"Yuuka, please." There's a sternness to his words that makes me stop. "This decision is already hard enough, and I know you don't want to sway my decision."

"Okay," I answer. He's right, but I've told him that. Just because I'm staying doesn't mean that he has to. "I'll respect any decision you make."

"Thank you." He nods, and packs the groceries away.

"Where's the league?"

"What?"

"The dueling league, where is it?"

"China."

"That's not too far."

" _Yuuka._ "

" _Fine._ "

Zora drops in the table we used at Christmas, and the old barbeque that hadn't been used since her husband died. She told Yusei about it the other day, she thought it was a shame that no one was using it. So naturally, in true Yusei fashion, he comes up with an idea. I cook food on the barbeque for our friends. We haven't seen them in a while, he said. It will be fun, he said. He's not the one having to cook, because that job naturally fell to me,  _again_. Yusei stands at the top of the stairs and looks over the empty garage. His D-Wheel over against the wall, under a sheet, and mine beside it. He looks  _sad_.

"You miss them, don't you?" I ask, my voice barely loud enough for him to hear it. Yusei's feeling it too. The feeling that everyone else seems to have their lives in check, except for you.

People seem confused whenever I bring this up. But Yuuka, they say, are you applying for the Police? Aren't you Neo Domino's saviour? Isn't Yusei going to university, or going pro, or doing whatever he wants? That might be true. But we're struggling. I still wake up screaming most nights. I see death whenever my eyes close. Be it my own, my mother's, Yusei's, or lives lost to the Machine Emperors. It follows me wherever I go. I have no clue on how to save the future. I don't know if I'll ever fully trust Yusei again. Of course I trust him, but there's always a smidge of doubt. Yusei's just as lost as me. He doesn't know how to stop that bad future, or stop himself from becoming Z-One, or how to not lose me again. We don't know anything, really.

"Yusei!" The twins shout in unison as they practically burst through the door.

"Sorry we're late." Aki says, holding up more grocery bags. Since I'm cooking, Aki volunteered to bring the food. Since it's a barbeque, we all decided on shish kebabs. Aki's wearing her hair down. It's just past her shoulders now, where mine used to be. She's decided to stop wearing her power limiter. She said that she doesn't need it anymore. I'm proud of her. She's letting her bangs out again. They look like her old bangs, just like the ones she had back in Duel Academy.

"Hey," Yusei responds. "It's been a while."

"Ready for some shish kebabs?" I ask with a smile. "Zora's already dropped in the barbeque."

Before they can answer, the garage door gets pulled open, revealing a rather tired looking Crow.

"Starting without me?" He waves rather non-chalentantly at everyone in the room. I wave back, not entirely sure if he was looking for that or not.

"Crow, you're late!" Rua marches over to Crow, wagging a finger in his face. "Everyone was waiting for you!"

"Sorry!" Crow laughs a little, and relaxes a little when he sees the barbeque still unused in the corner.

"He's only joking." Aki giggles along with him.

"Right, let's get this barbeque outside so we can start cooking!"

Crow and Yusei, working together, get the barbeque outside. I get the barbeque lighting as Aki and the twins start preparing the shish kebabs. I've banned Yusei from touching the food, while Crow gets himself a drink in true Crow fashion.

We told Jack that we were having a get-together tonight. Whether he shows up or not is a different story. Jack is known just to do his own thing entirely. He could at least make an effort.

The heat of the barbeque is starting to get overwhelming, so I tie my hair up. Yusei starts smiling, more than he was before. Yusei liked my hair in a ponytail before, back when my hair was down to my collarbone. Now, since he loves my now-much-longer hair, he loves it even more in a ponytail.

"Yuuka, is that a tattoo?" I hear Aki ask, as she brings over some shish kebabs for me to grill.

"Yep," I answer. Since I now permanently have a scar in the shape of the Crimson Dragon's brand on my back, I decided to get it tattooed so it doesn't look as ugly. I have the shape of it blocked in black on my back forever. It's a reminder to myself of what Z-One and the other Yuuka wanted to do, make a better future. I also have a clutter of stars on my ribcage, just where the other Yuuka left a scar before it vanished. Since my pink halter top has an open back, Aki is able to see my new tattoo clearly.

"Interesting." She mutters, as I put the kebabs on the grill.

"Man, I'm really hungry." I say, changing the topic of the conversation.

"How's the Police job going?" Yusei turns and asks Crow, who takes a kebab as soon as the first one comes off the grill.

"I mean, I enjoy it but it's tiring." That was obvious. I could tell that by looking at the bags under his eyes. "The shift work's rough. But, I think it's worth it. Our work is needed for the people of Neo Domino City and for duelists. The job is worth doing." Crow takes a bite of the kebab. "However…"

"However what?"

"Well…" Crow trails off.

"Yes?" Aki urges him to continue.

"So Aki, have you made up your mind on what you're gonna do when you graduate?" Crow changes the topic completely. "Since you're top of the class, I imagine that you'll be in high demand from all the leagues."

"Stop trying to decide my future for me." Her tone is deadly serious, urging Crow not to continue. "Everyone else is already trying to do that."

"I didn't know you were so touchy about it."

"I'm not." Aki scowls back at Crow. I'm not watching the kebabs, but instead the drama folding out in front of me. "For once in my life, I get to choose my own future. I'm not letting other people take that away from me."

"I'm sorry Aki, it's just that I-"

"If anything, Crow, you're the one acting weird." Aki cuts over Crow. "You talk about what's worth doing, but you're just complaining!"

Everyone's starting to turn on each other. I sigh and start turning over the kebabs.

"We received an email today." Rua blurts out. "From our parents, saying that we should live together."

"Well, that's good." Crow nods. "A family should be together." He says this, but I don't entirely agree. For years, I couldn't bear to be around my biological family. The twins' parents aren't exactly the greatest, so it mightn't be the best thing for them.

"If we go, we have to leave Neo Domino City." Ruka adds, and Crow's face falls.

"We haven't decided yet, but we're wondering what we should do."

"Because we want to stay together with everyone." Ruka adds. "We don't want to leave Neo Domino City. But we don't know…"

Everyone falls into silence. I take the first batch of kebabs off the grill, putting them on a plate. Everyone's unhappy, and unsure of where to go. I can't stand this.

"You're all just confused." I sigh, turning over kebabs. "Crow, you got an invitation from a pro league, didn't you? Aki, you're thinking about studying medicine abroad."

"How did you know?" Aki gasps.

"I ran into your mom." I shrug my shoulders. "She asked me to talk to you about it. Also, you left a pamphlet in my house. I don't remember much English from school, but the translation app filled in the gaps. It told me that it said something about a medicine program at a university in England. Didn't surprise me honestly. You told me that you wanted to do it the first time we hung out."

"Aki, you're going to become a doctor?" Crow asks. There's a tone of sadness in his voice. I don't know whether it's because Aki didn't tell him, or the fact that Aki may not join him in the pro leagues.

"I don't know…"

I feel my body perk up just before the door opens. Everyone turns around and gasps once the door slams shut.

"Jack?" The man himself walks down the ramp, hopping off just before the end like the drama queen that he is.

"Where have  _you_  been?" Crow asks, scowling.

"Traveling and training."

" _Traveling and training?_ " Crow repeats back to him, looking rather unimpressed.

"I've decided to leave Neo Domino City." Jack says, without a hint of hesitation, which gets a gasp. "I've received an invitation from Ride Ace, the world's greatest duel league. I will become King of the World!" He slightly raises a clenched fist.

" _King?_ " Crow walks forward and grabs the front of Jack's jacket. "You're still talking about that? What about our bond?"

"You're relying on our bond?" Jack pushes Crow away. "Don't you want to test your skills against the world?" Radio silence. It's obvious that Crow would rather go pro than be stuck in the Police for the rest of his life. I may sound hypocritical, but I knew Crow wouldn't last long from the start. It's just not who he is. "Yusei, you must also have received an invitation."

"Yeah," Yusei answers.

"Of course you did." Crow interjects. "Since even I got some invitations, Yusei would be invited by every league."

"What are you going to do, Yusei?" Aki asks.

"I don't know." Yusei sighs, looking everywhere but me. "Jaeger accepted my plans for the new Moment framework, and I have my university assessment test soon."

"I- _We_  have accomplished everything we could do as a team." Jack continues. "So what I should do next is create my own future by myself! I want to test my power against the world! I will eliminate anything that stands in my way, even if it's Team 5D's bond!"

The room falls into silence again. As much as we like to preach that friendship is great and super important, Jack does have a point. If anything, I think our idea of togetherness is holding us back.

"Jack, we're confused because we can't do that." There's a sense of pleading in Crow's words, like he can't bear to move on, even though he wants to.

"Duel me, Jack." Yusei bursts out.

"Oh, you want to duel me?" Jack raises an eyebrow. There's a glint of fire in his eyes.

"Dueling has always guided us." Yusei explains. "Since we're confused, we should find the answer by dueling."

"I look forward to it, because I must defeat you before taking on the world!" Jack points towards Yusei as he declares his stupid drama queen dreams.

"Okay, before you do that, I want to eat these shish kebabs cause I'm hungry." I interject.

"Sounds like a plan." Crow nods along with me.

* * *

"Now Yuuka," Crow asks as he helps me clean up, "why were you seen in a jewelers looking at rings? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I know what that little shit is implying.

"Yusei, did you know that Yuuka went to look at rings?" Crow turns around to look at Yusei with raised eyebrows.

"Actually, yeah."

"Wait what?" Crow's head turns rapidly as he looks at us.

"Idiot, they're not engaged." Jack tuts. "...yet."

"What was that?" I blink rapidly at Jack, who's sitting on the loveseat in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee while the rest of us clean up.

"You heard me."

"If you must know, Shinji's planning on proposing to Reika so he asked me to look at rings with him." I sigh. "I wasn't looking for myself."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier." Yusei interjects. "I was talking to Reika. She begged me not to tell anyone, but you'd complain if I didn't tell you-"

"First of all, rude."

"Second of all, I'm right." Yusei chuckles. "She's actually planning on proposing  _to_  Shinji. I didn't tell her that Shinji is too, but I thought you might like to know that."

"Oh my gods." I put my hand to my chest. "That is just too cute. Just imagine if they tried to do it at the same time."

"You girls are all the same." Jack sighs.

"Just because I have something in common with the only other girl you properly talk to doesn't mean you can say that kinda shit, Jack."

"Yeah Jack,  _geez_." Yusei tries to hide a chuckle. Jack stays quiet and sips his coffee.

"I missed you guys." I say, going back to scrubbing the dirty dishes. "I missed  _this_."

"Yeah, me too." Crow says, looking rather sombre. Nobody says anything after that. We go back to our cleaning in silence. Jack's leaving. Crow might be too. We missed this, but I don't think we'll ever  _really_  get it back.


	88. Closer

I feel Yusei stirring awake just before the alarm goes off. For some reason, Jack and Yusei decided to start their duel at 6 in the morning, instead of, y'know, waiting for a few more hours like normal people. Jack and Crow are already awake, I think. For once in his life, Yusei kisses me good morning and actually gets out of the bed. He takes his old riding jacket out of the wardrobe. He hasn't touched it since the Ark Cradle fell. I think it carries too many memories. I know mine does. I haven't taken my riding jacket out of that wardrobe either. I normally just throw on my knee and shoulder pads since they're not sown onto my jacket. I take a white and magenta baseball shirt from my ever-growing pile of clothes in Yusei's wardrobe. I take some denim shorts and black knee-high socks. I love that our relationship has gotten to the point that we can just change in front of each other. Unfortunately, I can't steal his riding jacket to wear around the house today.

"You got a shift after this?" I ask Crow as we walk into the kitchen, cause he's in his uniform again.

"Yep." There's still bags under his eyes. None of us don't really know what to say to each other. There's definitely some awkwardness in the air. Jack walks into the kitchen, already in his riding suit.

"Will we go?" He asks, not even greeting us. We just decide to head off to our meeting at the harbour. I'm not sure why Jack and Crow even bothered to wait for us, I think they did for old times' sake. I know, deep down, that Jack is sentimental, even if he doesn't seem like to admit it.

Aki's already there with her D-Wheel, with the twins at her side, when we get there. Aki looks like she hasn't slept. I don't blame her, I haven't either. Everything's weighing on my mind. My future, Yusei's future, everyone's future. They're not going to be as involved in my future as I thought. I had this little fantasy playing out in my mind, where we're all just happy, hanging around in each other's big houses in the suburbs till we're old and grey. But I can't have that. My friends must move on, while I'm stuck in my eternal servitude to this City. What hurts me is that Yusei might leave too. I don't want him to leave but if it makes him happier, I have to let him go. I know he won't stop loving me, but I can't help but worry that his fondness will fade over that distance.

Yusei and Jack line up their D-Wheels under a bridge in the harbour. The rest of us huddle around Crow's D-Wheel, waiting for the duel to start so we can watch it on his monitor. Crow lets me sit in the seat of his D-Wheel. I looked pale, he said. I mean, he's not  _wrong_.

"Yusei and Jack are about to battle." Crow holds his shaking hand in front of his face. "I've seen them battle many times since I was a kid, so why am I shaking?"

"Because nothing will ever be the same again," I answer.

"Jack, this is our first time we're dueling each other since the Fortune Cup." Yusei calls over to Jack.

"Yeah, many things have happened since then." Jack smirks. "We've had to fight by your side against many enemies."

"Yeah, but it was fun for me."

"Me too, but I've been looking forward to dueling you again."

"My heart may have been thinking the same thing."

"Nothing will interfere with our duel anymore." Jack says as both of them lowers their visors.

"Yeah, I'll give it my all in this duel!" Yusei revs his engine, ready for the duel.

"Of course. I will also strike you with everything I have! My soul is completely about dueling!" Jack pulls at his glove before revving his own engine.

"Speed World 2 set! Riding Duel!" They chant in unison before racing off. "Acceleration!" Crow fiddles with his monitor, bringing up the visual of the duel about to start.

"Whoever takes the first corner goes first!" Jack's voice is the first one to come through.

"I won't let you!" Yusei speeds ahead of Jack. "I'll go first!"

"I'll let you have it." Jack says, despite being behind Yusei.

"My turn!" Yusei declares. "I summon the Tuner Monster, Blue Expense Falcon(ATK:800)!"

"He's using his full strength from the start." Aki moves her hand in front of her mouth, as if Yusei summoning a Tuner is something new.

"When Blue Expense Falcon is successfully summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-below Dragon-Type monster from my hand. I Special Summon Bright Star Dragon(ATK:1900)! When Bright Star Dragon is Special Summoned, one monster's Level increases by 2. Blue Expense Falcon's Level increases from 2 to 4(LV:2-4)!" Oh, here we go. "Level 4 Blue Expense Falcon tunes Level 4 Bright Star Dragon! Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Soar, Stardust Dragon(ATK:2500)! I set one card and end my turn!"

"Incredible!" Rua exclaims. "Stardust Dragon already?"

"My turn!" Jack begins, setting their Speed Counters to 1. "When there's a Synchro Monster on your field, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Synchron Resonator from my hand(ATK:100)! Next, I summon Star Gatherer(ATK:0)! Star Gatherer's Level becomes the same as your Synchro Monster minus 1. Therefore, Star Gatherer is Level 7(LV:1-7)! Level 1 Synchron Resonator tunes Level 7 Star Gatherer! The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" Turn 2 and already their aces are ready to battle. I don't think these two would let their pride say otherwise. "I won't hold back Yusei! Red Daemon's Dragon attacks Stardust Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!"

"I activate the trap, Star Excursion!" Yusei interjects. "When Synchro Monsters battle, both monsters are removed from play, and they're Special Summoned at the end of your third turn's Battle Phase!" The two dragons get sucked into a black vortex.

"Stardust Dragon and Red Daemon's Dragon vanished." Jack points out the obvious.

"Yeah, they both vanished into our futures." Yusei nods.

"Future?" Jack echoes. Crow gasps, and the others look at each other.

"That's right!" Yusei stretches his arm. "I will find my future in this duel!" What could he mean? Is he betting staying in this City on this duel? He's not relying on Stardust, is that what he's saying?

He's finding his own identity outside of being a Signer, outside of Z-One.

I realise that. I look around at my friends. They don't seem to think the same.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Jack finishes his first move.

"My turn!" Yusei begins. "I send one monster to the graveyard to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron(ATK:700)! By Special Summoning two Triangle Tokens to your field in defense position(DEF:1200/DEF:1200), I can Special Summon Triangle Warrior from my hand!"

"Tokens on my field?" Jack mutters.

"Come, Triangle Warrior(ATK:600)!" Yusei proclaims. "Level 5 Quickdraw Synchron tunes Level 2 Triangle Warrior! Clustering minds will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior(ATK:2800)! From my hand, I activate Speed Spell - Defense Buster! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, one of your monsters in defense position switches to attack position(DEF:1200-ATK:1200)! Nitro Warrior's effect activates! When a spell card activates during my turn, it gains 1000 attack points during damage calculation once! Since I used a Speed Spell, Nitro Warrior has 3800 attack points!"

"3800 attack points?" Rua exclaims.

"He did more than increase its attack points." Aki exclaims. "With Nitro Warrior's effect, when it destroys the opponent's monster, it can change another monster in defense to attack position and battle again. If he destroys the other Token, it's a total of 4200 points of damage for a one turn kill."

"Yusei really is battling with all his power."

"Yusei said that he would find the future in this duel." Crow looks around at all of us. "It may not just be for himself, it may also be a message for us." Just as he finishes, it starts raining. We're safe since we're under the bridge, but it matches my mood.

"We also have to find our future." Aki looks right at me.

"Nitro Warrior attacks the first Triangle Token!" Yusei declares. "Dynamite Knuckle!"

"I activate the trap, Break Tune!" Jack interjects. "When you attack, I Special Summon one Tuner Monster and negate that attack! I Special Summon Influence Dragon(ATK:300)!"

"Nitro Warrior's attack points return to normal(ATK:3800-2800)."

"Don't get overconfident, Yusei!" Jack shouts over to him. "Did you really think that our clash will end in a single move? The curtains won't fall until the lead actor gives his final speech! And the lead actor of this duel is me, Jack Atlas!" I sigh, he will literally never change.

"I end my turn." Yusei says with a smirk on his face.

"Jack is already focused on his future." Crow's voice is barely above a whisper, and his eyes are glazed over. "His strength is confident and unwavering. I'm jealous of him."

"Me too." Aki says with an unusual vulnerability in her voice.

"My turn!" Jack begins again, setting their Speed Counters to 3. "When Influence Dragon is used as Synchro Material, the Warrior-Type Triangle Token becomes Dragon-Type! I'll use these Token eyesores as seeds for victory! Level 3 Influence Dragon tunes two Level 2 Triangle Tokens! The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of Victory, shatter the very earth! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Exploder Dragonwing(ATK:2400)!"

"But Nitro Warrior has more attack points!" Yusei counters.

"I know that!" Jack retorts. "I summon Power Supplier in defense position(DEF:400)! Due to Power Supplier's effect, Exploder Dragonwing gains 400 attack points(ATK:2400-2800)! Now their attack points are equal. Exploder Dragonwing attacks Nitro Warrior! King Storm!" Yusei's life points drop to 1200 in one go in a cloud of black smoke.

"Even though their attack points were equal, only Nitro Warrior was destroyed!" Ruka gasps, as Jack speeds past Yusei on the track.

"When Exploder Dragonwing battles a monster with equal or fewer attack points, your monster is destroyed without calculating damage and you take damage equal to its attack points! Yusei, do you know my absolute power?" Jack asks. "There's nothing you can do since you have zero cards in your hand!"

"Incredible, 2800 points of damage!" Crow exclaims. "And since there was no damage calculation, Exploder Dragonwing is unhurt."

"I set one card and end my turn." Jack continues. "This is my overwhelmingly powerful strength! Yusei, if you're the sword, then I'm the axe!" Hold on, doesn't sword always beat axe? Y'know, rock-paper-scissors style? I don't think Jack is thinking through his metaphors, again. "I'll swing it down, and split you apart! I'll annihilate your foolish soul for challenging a giant!"

They approach a fork in the road. Jack continues down the main road, while Yusei takes the narrower side road. Jack calls over to him, but Yusei just keeps going.

"Too bad, but we're travelling different paths." Yusei shouts over to him. "My path is with the wind. You can't stop it with a giant axe!"

"Big talk." Jack smiles with a twinkle in his eye. Finally happy that someone is matching his dramatics.

"You bring it out of me." Yusei smirks. I'm just glad that I bring out his soft side that actually has emotions sometimes, rather than this. "I won't let you have this duel!"

"Wrong!" Jack exclaims. "Victory is something you take!"

"Yusei is enjoying this duel from the bottom of his heart." Aki comments.

"Yeah, Jack is too." I add. "He's happy that he can use his full strength."

"My turn!" Yusei continues the duel. "Sneak Giant's effect. When you're the only one with monsters on your field, by Special Summoning a Level 1 monster from my graveyard, I can summon Level 5 Sneak Giant without tribute! I Special Summon Turbo Synchron and summon Sneak Giant(ATK:100/ATK:0)! Level 1 Turbo Synchron tunes Level 5 Sneak Giant! Clustering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Roar, Turbo Warrior(ATK:2500)! Turbo Warrior attacks Exploder Dragonwing! When Turbo Warrior attacks a Level 6-or-above Synchro Monster, that monster's attack points are halved! Its 2800 attack points are halved to 1400! Go, Turbo Warrior! Accel Slash!" Yusei takes Jack's life points down to 2900.

"Well done, Yusei!" Jack congratulates him.

"I told you, you bring this out in me." Yusei repeats.

"It's Yusei's counterattack! What attack and defense! Even I'm getting fired up!" Crow raises a fist.

"I end my turn."

"My turn!" Jack begins, setting their Speed Counters to 5. "When you're the only one with a Synchro Monster, I can summon the Tuner Monster, Mirror Resonator(ATK:0)! Mirror Resonator's Level becomes the same as your Synchro Monster, Turbo Warrior(LV:1-6)! Level 6 Mirror Resonator tunes Level 2 Power Supplier! The King's determination is conceived with a crimson blade ablaze fires of red! Appear from beyond the burning heat waves! Synchro Summon! The Burning Fierce God, Crimson Blader(ATK:2800)! Crimson Blader attacks Turbo Warrior! Red Murder!" The attack leaves Yusei with his last 900 life points.

"Turbo Warrior…" He mutters.

"When Crimson Blader destroys a Synchro Monster in battle, you can't summon a monster on your next turn, Yusei!"

"So this is the results of your training, Jack!"

"I focused on many techniques for my power duel, so that my dueling would create even more power." Was disappearing for like five months without telling anyone about it really worth it? I doubt it. "I'm close to perfection!" Sure Jack, whatever you say.

"My turn!" Yusei begins his turn again. "I activate Speed Spell - Angel Baton from my hand! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I draw two cards from my deck, and I send one card in my hand to the graveyard!"

"You drew a good card after having zero cards in your hand. But this draw will determine your fate!" There's a beat of silence. Yusei draws and they enter a tunnel.

"I send Fake Gardna to the graveyard. I set one card and end my turn!"

"You drew a monster, but it can only go the graveyard if you can't summon it!"

"We'll see about that. Do you know what I'm thinking?" There's confidence in Yusei's voice, he's got a strategy.

"I already know what you're planning!" Jack scoffs. "You sent Fake Gardna to the graveyard, but you can Special Summon it when you're attacked directly. When Crimson Blader attacks you directly, you're going to use it as a shield to survive! Only you would pull such a petty strategy!" I swear that their duels will only get more needlessly complicated from here, they know each other too well.

"We never change. We'll spend our entire lives thinking about dueling, cards, pride and fixations." This is what I've signed myself up for.

"Yeah, that will never change! The present, the past or the future!" I look over at Crow. His eyes have steeled. He looks more determined than ever. He looks at me and nods. He's made his decision, I realise. "My turn! You said that when this turn's Battle Phase ends, my Red Daemon's Dragon and your Stardust Dragon return! But I won't wait for that future! I'll end it this turn! Crimson Blader attacks Yusei directly! Red Murder!"

"When you attack me directly, I can Special Summon Fake Gardna in defense position(DEF:2000)!" Yusei interjects.

"Your survival strategy won't work against me!" Jack exclaims. "I activate the trap, Breakthrough! It destroys the monster Special Summoned during the Battle Phase!"

"If Yusei takes this direct attack, he loses!"

"Fake Gardna was removed from play when it was destroyed, so it can't activate its effect again."

"This is the end!" Jack declares.

"I activate the trap, Scramble Egg!" Yusei swerves out of the way of the attack.

"What?"

"When a monster on my field is destroyed, I can Special Summon Road Runner from my deck, hand or graveyard(DEF:300)!" Yusei explains. "Even though it only has 300 defense points, Road Runner can't be destroyed in battle against a monster with 1900 or more attack points! Since the Battle Phase ends, due to the trap card, Star Excursion's effect, Stardust Dragon and Red Daemon's Dragon resurrect!" The dragons appear as they exit the tunnel, allowing them to stretch their wings out.

"The future that Yusei mentioned…" Aki mutters. "What does Yusei see?"

"During my battle against Z-One, my father spoke to my heart." Yusei begins. "About what I must do. Like Moment's Yusei Particles, I must guide and connect people's hearts. Connecting people forms a bond. Even if everyone goes their separate ways, I want to become the bond that connects everyone's heart, like Yusei Particles. That's why we don't need to feel confused. We can all stand and head out alone." I look around at my friends to see that they're all wiping tears away. I feel like I should be choking up too.

"Then I'll stand!" Jack declares, as he begins to accelerate. "I'll head into the world as the King! Yusei, witness my rugged soul to the end!"

"Yeah! Bring it on, Jack!" Yusei also accelerates to meet his speed.

"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" Jack exclaims. "By removing 7 Speed Counters, I draw one card! (SPC J:7-0) I summon Chain Resonator(ATK:100)! When I summon Chain Resonator when you have a Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon a Resonator Tuner Monster from my deck! I summon Dark Resonator(ATK:1300)!" Jack's entire body begins to glow red. "My soul is running wild! Level 3 Dark Resonator and Level 1 Chain Resonator double tune Level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon! The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Come Forth, Scarlet Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)! Scarlet Nova Dragon gains 500 attack points for every Tuner Monster in my graveyard! There are five Tuner Monsters in my graveyard! Therefore, Scarlet Nova Dragon gains 2500 attack points(ATK:3500-6000)!"

"Incredible!" Rua exclaims.

"Jack is striking Yusei with his entire soul."

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Yusei begins his turn again. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! I remove 7 Speed Counters to draw one card! I summon the Tuner Monster Mach Synchron(ATK:0)! Level 1 Mach Synchron tunes Level 1 Road Runner! Clustering wishes will call out a new speed's horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The Power of Hope, Formula Synchron(ATK:200)! When Mach Synchron is used as Synchro Material, the non-Mach Synchron Synchro Material returns to my hand. When Formula Synchron is successfully Synchro Summoned, I draw one card from my deck!"

"Synchro Tuner? He's planning to bring that out!" Well done, Jack, you're using that thing called logic and basic reasoning.

"Clear Mind!" Yusei says as he begins to accelerate "Level 2 Synchro Tuner Formula Synchron tunes Level 8 Synchro Monster Stardust Dragon! Clustering powers will bring about a new evolution! Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro!" Yusei disappears for a split second. "Appear, Shooting Star Dragon(ATK:3300)!"

"Shooting Star Dragon, you appeared!" Jack smirks. "You're targeting Crimson Blader! But due to Scarlet Nova Dragon's effect, it can remove itself from play this turn to negate your attack!"

"But you can only do that once!" Yusei smirks right back at him. "Shooting Star Dragon checks the top five cards in my deck, and it can attack for every Tuner Monster among them!" Yusei draws all of the cards at once. "I drew three Tuners! Therefore, Shooting Star Dragon can attack three times! Stardust Mirage! Shooting Star Dragon attacks Crimson Blader!" Jack's life points drop to 2400 in a cloud of grey smoke.

"Attack me with your two remaining attacks, Yusei!" Jack shouts, practically at the top of his lungs. "That is, if you really think you can blast away my soul!"

"Scarlet Nova has 6000 attack points, while Shooting Star has 3300. Jack is being unrealistic." Crow sighs.

"I think he'll find a way," I answer.

"I set two cards and end my turn." Yusei continues, as they come off-road and into an industrial estate.

"My turn!" Jack begins his turn again, with their Speed Counters being set to 2. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Red Cocoon! This card equips onto Scarlet Nova. While Scarlet Nova battles, your monster's effects are negated!"

"That means Shooting Star can't escape from the field!" Rua exclaims. "If this attack succeeds, Jack wins!"

"Scarlet Nova Dragon attacks Shooting Star Dragon! Burning Soul!" Jack shouts. They start driving inside a factory, which I'm pretty sure is illegal.

"I activate the trap, High and Low!" Yusei interjects. "I send one card in my deck to the graveyard, and if it's a monster, my monster that's attacked gains that card's attack points! This effect can be used up to three times, but if my monster's attack points become greater than yours, my monster is destroyed!"

"I see," Jack hums. "You're using that effect to take less damage, you never change."

"Jack! This is a move to test my future! This draw will most likely point to my future!" I feel my heart rate increase. Is Yusei really betting his future with me on this draw? He's not only deciding his own future, but mine as well. "I draw! Sonic Warrior has 1000 attack points(ATK:3300-4300)! I draw a second card! Speed Warrior has 900 attack points(ATK:4300-5200)!"

"The difference in their attack points is now 800! Yusei will barely survive with 100 life points!"

"If you draw again, Shooting Star will now be destroyed and your field will be empty!"

"I'll use High and Low's effect for a third time!" I put my hand over my mouth. My hands start shaking again, so I fold my arms in an attempt to stop it.

"Are you serious?" Jack exclaims. "If you draw a monster with more than 800 attack points, it'll self-destruct!"

"I know that," Yusei answers. "You're not someone I can beat without taking a risk. I will bet my potential on this draw! Deck, answer me!" The paths that Yusei and Jack are following start to go over a pit of molten metal. The camera angle moves slightly. The path before Yusei cuts off, but he doesn't stop. I grip the sides of Crow's D-Wheel.

"Yusei! There isn't any road ahead of you! Give up!" Jack screams, but Yusei's eyes are closed. "Yusei!"

"That's it." I unfold my arms and cover my eyes. "I can't look anymore. Tell me if he lands."

"The third card!" I hear Yusei's voice. "Quillbolt Hedgehog has 800 attack points! Therefore, Shooting Star Dragon has 6000 attack points!"

"He's landed now, Yuuka." Aki chuckles beside me. "You can look. Yusei brought his own future to himself."

"No way!" Jack exclaims. "You made Shooting Star Dragon have the same attack points as Scarlet Nova Dragon! But since Red Cocoon that's equipped on Scarlet Nova Dragon was destroyed, I can Special Summon Red Daemon's Dragon during the End Phase!"

"I activate the trap, Crush Star!" Yusei interjects. "When a Synchro Monster on the field is destroyed, I can Special Summon a monster with 1000 or fewer attack points from my hand and graveyard in defense position! Come, Road Runner and Sonic Warrior(DEF:300/DEF:0)! I end my turn!"

"Resurrect, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!" The dragon appears from the pit of molten metal, just before they finish crossing it. "Yusei, those weaklings can't stand up to my Red Daemon's Dragon!" They manage to stop trespassing in a factory, and emerge at the harbour. I imagine they're not too far from where we are.

"Are you sure about that?" Yusei asks. I can practically hear the  _no monster is useless_  speech already. He jumps up onto a pipe, because taking the same path as Jack is too much to ask for. Wait… Could he be...? "Jack, I can see my answer! My turn! I summon Junk Synchron(ATK:1300)! When Junk Synchron is summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2-or-below monster in defense position! Resurrect, Speed Warrior(DEF:400)! When there's a Tuner Monster on the field, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard(ATK:800)!"

"Those monsters are…"

"They're cards that Yusei has always been using."

A memory suddenly comes into my head. I found Quillbolt Hedgehog in a pile of junk. I gave it to Yusei because I thought it was cute. Wasn't that the card that he said would decide his fate, and by extension, mine? Does that mean he's chosen me?

"No matter how low their attack points, no matter how low their Levels…"

"Yusei loves those monsters and always uses them. They're his friends that have always helped him duel!"

"Level 3 Junk Synchron tunes Level 2 Sonic Warrior! Clustering stars will call upon a new force. Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior(ATK:2300)!"

"You play Junk Warrior now!?" Jack all but screams, shocked that anything but their Signer dragons would face off against each other in the endgame of their duel.

"When Sonic Warrior is used as Synchro Material, Level 2-or-below monsters on the field gain 400 attack points(ATK:900-1300/ATK:300-700/ATK:800-1200)!" Yusei explains. "When Junk Warrior is Synchro Summoned, it gains attack points equal to the total attack points of all Level 2-or-below monsters. Power of Fellows(ATK:2300-5500)!"

"5500 attack points?" Jack exclaims.

"Yusei's monster powered up due to the power of their bond. This is the potential that Yusei mentioned." Aki looks around at all of us. I see the determination burning in her eyes.

"If we also have a bond, we can always remain strong! I've made my decision!" Crow punches his fist in the air.

"I've also decided." Aki nods, clenching her fist against her chest.

"Me too." The twins say, slightly out of sync.

I look around at them. I smile sadly. I'm happy for them. They're leaving, but not for good. I never want them to leave, but I have to let them go. I love my friends, I wouldn't change them for anything in the world. They'll always be my friends, I realise. We've been through so much together that they'll never really leave me. They're off to make their own futures.

I'm not alone.

I'm not the only one creating my own future. I'm not the only one trying to prevent Z-One's and the other Yuuka's bad future. That's what we're fighting for. I know my friends, they won't stop until that's a certainty. I feel my stomach lift a little.

"Jack!" Yusei breaks my train of thought. "Our duel has taught me what lives in my soul!" He puts his fist against his chest.

"You finally found your path." Jack smiles with confidence.

"I will remain in this City!" Yusei all but screams, getting a gasp from everyone. Did everyone think he was leaving?

"Yusei…" Jack mutters.

"Here I go, Jack!" Yusei jumps off the pipe that was slightly elevated above the road. "Junk Warrior attacks Red Daemon's Dragon! Scrap Fist!" There's a billow of smoke as Jack's life points drop to 0.

I feel my shoulders relax. I exhale. That was an experience, to say the least. Yusei's staying with me, for good. My heartbeat's ringing in my ears. I'm practically grinning from ear-to-ear. Deep down, I'm sad because everyone's leaving. But as long as I have Yusei by my side, I know everything will be okay. He's the most important thing to me in this life, I can't imagine not having him by my side.

"So, that's it, huh?" Crow asks.

"Yeah," Aki mutters in response.

"Let's drive down to them, I think they're just down there." Crow says, making me get off his D-Wheel.

"Right." I sigh, getting back onto my own. Ruka tags onto the back of Aki's D-Wheel, while Rua goes on Crow's since it has the most room.

I race off towards Yusei, my head practically spinning. We reach them, just as they leave a high-five.

"Yusei!" Ruka shouts. They turn to look at us, with big smiles.

"Everyone!" Yusei says, as we disembark.

"I've decided to go to the pro league, Yusei!" Crow has this big grin on his face, practically stretching from ear-to-ear.

"I'll make sure to study!" Aki puts her hand over her chest.

"Me too! When I get there, I'll write a letter every week!" Ruka fidgets on the spot.

"I'll make our parents pamper us to make up for lost time!" Rua puts his hands on his hips and laughs.

"You've each found your path." Yusei looks around each of us. His gaze settles on me. "I'm staying here. I'm going to put the Moment Framework in place, so Z-One and the other Yuuka's future doesn't happen. But, I'll still attend university. I won't stop until I know that the future is safe." This beautiful smile breaks out on his face. It takes all of me not to break there and then.

Everyone nods at Yusei. We say nothing and form a circle, putting our hands in for a fist bump. Yusei's shoulders shake slightly, but he regains his composure.

"No matter how far apart we are, our bond is forever." We look at each other, taking in the view, knowing that this could be the last time we do this. We raise our fists as one.

"We still don't know what Yuuka's doing." Crow points out.

"Yeah, when will you know?" Aki asks.

"No idea." I hear the roar of a D-Wheel engine, and this ticklish sensation in my head. "Well actually-"

"Yuuka!" Kaoru pulls up on his shiny, black D-Wheel besides us. He holds up two letters. "Just arrived."

"And you rooted inside my head to find where I was."

"Yep," he answers casually as he disembarks. "I haven't opened mine yet."

"We're gonna do it now?" I look back at my friends, who look at me expectantly.

"Why not?" Kaoru takes off his helmet, looking pretty nervous. He hands me my envelope. I read the name  _Yuuka Hattori_  on the front, with Kasumi's address underneath.

I take a deep breath. I feel Yusei squeeze my shoulder. I look up at Kaoru, who's looking equally nervous. We look at each other, we say nothing as swap our envelopes.

"Oh yeah, telepathy." I hear Crow mutter under his breath. Even though, we haven't said anything to each other.

I start opening the envelope labelled  _Kaoru Sasaki_. I start scanning the letter.

"We are delighted to offer you the position…" I read outloud. "Congrats, dude." I keep reading on in the letter. "You placed in the top ten applicants, number eight. That's really good, shit."

"This can't be right." Kaoru mutters, and my stomach sinks.

"I got my hopes up for nothing." I sigh.

"No, you got it." I blink rapidly. My brain adjusts to the fakeout. Kaoru turns the letter towards me. "You were the number one applicant."

"What?" My eyes squint. I scan the letter, looking at the number one bolded in the text.

"You serious?" Crow practically jumps forward to read the letter. "That's what it says, look!" Crow takes the letter from Kaoru, showing it to everyone.

"Congratulations, Yuuka." Jack says, while I just nod slowly. "And you too, Kaoru."

"You two are going to be the best cops ever!" Rua exclaims.

"That's incredible, Yuuka." Ruka nods. "Kaoru."

"That's amazing, you two. I knew you could do it." Aki smiles at both of us.

"I'm so proud of you, babe." Yusei presses a kiss to my temple while holding my waist. I start smiling again, coming out of my daze.

"Thank you." I manage to get out.

"Yeah, thanks, but I am interrupting something?" Kaoru makes a face, looking at me.

"Not really-" Yusei starts.

"Yeah, you were." I nod.

"I'll get out of your hair now." Kaoru puts a hand up, getting the message. "I gotta go tell mom and Takumi now."

"I'll see you later, I guess?" I ask.

"Of course," he nods, "we gotta celebrate."

"You're right." I chuckle. "Later." I flash him a peace sign.

"Later." He returns the gesture.

"So, yeah, that happened." I turn back to my friends. Yusei's standing so close to me that our shoulders are brushing.

"Yeah." Crow nods at me.

"When is everyone leaving?" Yusei asks, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"Our parents booked us a flight for tomorrow." Ruka shyly smiles.

"The university says I can arrive anytime from now." Aki shrugs her shoulders.

"The league wants me there by tomorrow night." Jack hangs his head a little.

"My league says anytime from now." Crow looks around our little circle with an unreadable look on his face.

"So tomorrow's the last day, huh?" Yusei looks around the circle too. I just keep my eyes on him. I'll get too sad if I follow his gaze.

"Seems so." Jack answers.

"How about we all get ready today, and have one last ride tomorrow morning?" Yusei proposes. "For old time's sake?"

"Yeah." Everyone nods in unison.

"Right, I don't actually have a shift to get to." Crow scratches the back of his neck. "Gotta tell them the bad news."

"Don't worry." Jack chuckles, turning to me. "They have two officer Sasakis to cover for you now."

"That's Officer Hattori to you." I smirk back at him.

"That's the last name the other Yuuka went by, right?" Aki asks.

"Yep," I nod. "I want to honour their legacy. I won't stop until the future is safe."

"Neither will we." Crow nods at me.

"You're not in this alone, Yuuka." Everyone looks at me with warm eyes. "We'll help you every step of the way." Aki continues.

"We'll do whatever we can to stop that bad future." Rua pumps his fist.

"Yeah," Ruka nods.

"We'll stop that future right in its track." Jack grins.

"See, Yuuka?" Yusei says. I look at him, and my heart still skips a beat. "We have everyone supporting us in this."

"You're right." I answer. "Let's make a promise here and now. To stop Z-One and the other Yuuka's bad future from happening." I place my hand in the middle for another fist bump. Everyone joins in. I know my friends are leaving, but this, it makes my heart feel less sad. It makes me happy to know that wherever Z-One and the other Yuuka are right now, that they're smiling.


	89. Time After Time - ACT III END

I get out of the shower and dry my hair. Still damp, I let it hang around my shoulders. I take Yusei's riding jacket that he left on the chair in his room and put it on. I hear a cry coming from the garage so I go down to investigate.

"I can't believe I lost!" Rua exclaims. I walk down the stairs into the garage. I see cards sprawled out in front of Yusei and Rua.

"Cheer up, Rua." Ruka smiles at her brother. "It just shows how much further you have to go."

"Even the best duelists have a few losses under their belts." Yusei chuckles.

"I suppose you're right." Rua sighs. "Next time we duel, I won't lose. A future Riding Duel champion can't lose to anyone."

"I'll look forward to the next time we duel then." Yusei nods. "I won't lose so easily."

"Yuuka!" Rua turns to me as I reach the bottom of the stairs. "I'll duel you too!"

"Rua, you can't just challenge everyone." Ruka sighs.

"No, I'll accept your challenge when you come back." I chuckle. "It'll give you a reason for you to come back."

"Of course, we'll come back!" Rua nods furiously at me.

"Yeah," Ruka nods too.

"Are you two gonna go get ready for tomorrow?" Yusei asks, getting his deck together.

"I guess, there's still a lot of packing to do." Ruka nods, while Rua looks at the ceiling.

"Don't worry about us, kid." I say to Rua, moving to Yusei's side. "We'll still be here when you get back." Rua looks at me with wide eyes, in the middle of also getting his deck together. "You two have gotten through a lot worse before, moving will be a breeze."

"I'm gonna miss you guys." Rua tackles the both of us into a hug.

"Aw, kiddo." I pat the top of his head. "We're gonna miss you too." I smile at Ruka, who looks rather upset. I stretch my arm out to her and she joins in the hug.

"We'll be here for you when you're ready to come back." Yusei says, smiling at both of them. "Make sure you keep in touch."

"We will, don't worry." Ruka steps back, which makes Rua step back too.

"Good luck, you guys." I say, nodding.

"Goodbye, then." Yusei says, as the twins make their way to leave.

"Goodbye." They chime slightly out of sync before the door closes behind them.

Yusei sighs.

"Same," I respond.

"What?"

"I feel the same."

"Yeah," he nods. We don't have to say anything, we just know. It's going to be a rough couple of days from here on out. "You know, I think if I went easy on him, I would have lost."

"Really?" I turn to him.

"Yeah, it'll be great to see what that kid gets up to in the future."

"All of our friends are going to do great things."

"And us."

"And us," I repeat.

"You stole the jacket again, really?" Yusei pinches the excess fabric on the sleeve.

"Yes, I love this jacket very much." I hug myself to prove the point. I get the scent of Yusei as I do it, which makes me happy. "It's important."

"I guess." Yusei shakes his head. "Out of all the jackets, you chose that one?"

"Out of everyone, I chose you."

Yusei's eyes go wide, and I swear his face gets a little flushed. I mean it's true, being bi, I get to basically choose from everyone. Even though I'm bi, I'd still date people in the middle, not that it matters much anymore.

"I feel lucky." He smiles, a tad bashful. "For years, I searched for you in the Satellite. Everyone was convinced that you were dead, but I knew you would be in the City, and I found you. But, after all that time, you still loved me. Even after everything that happened, you still thought of me. That makes me happy."

"Yeah," I nod. I don't know what to say honestly. Knowing that he was waiting for me, even looking for me, just makes that time away from him less painful. I spent those years convincing myself that I would never see Yusei again. Now, it almost doesn't feel real that I'm here. Yusei is the first thing that I see when I wake up, and he's the last thing I see before I fall asleep. Somehow, it almost feels  _worth_  it. Like all of that pain and suffering all lead to this exact moment, where I'm standing with the man I love, his jacket around me, and I'm  _happy_  for once in my existence. "I still love you."

"I love you too," he says. The look on his face is so warm that I feel it in my chest. There's a comfortable silence as we just stare at each other and smile.

* * *

I'm standing in the kitchen enjoying yet another cup of coffee. Yusei went to go help the twins finish packing, they needed help but I couldn't hear what they said from Yusei's phone. Crow comes into the kitchen, looking a bit teary-eyed.

"So, I'm guessing you said goodbye to the kids then?" Crow's changed out of his uniform after this morning, throwing a leather jacket over his usual yellow shirt.

"Yeah," he sighs. "It was rough, not gonna lie."

"They're not going anywhere." I respond. "Martha will take good care of them, you know that better than anyone."

"I'm not doubting Martha." Crow rolls his eyes. "It's just that… I'll miss them kids, y'know? Even after they stopped living with me, I saw them practically everyday and now I'm moving halfway across the world. I'm just afraid of what will happen when I'm not there? It sounds strange, but something bad could happen. Something good could happen, that might be even worse."

"I know what you mean." I smile sadly. "That's just what's gonna happen. Those kids will always be thinking of you, Crow. I'll keep an eye on them, if that would make you happy. Nothing bad will happen if I'm around. As for the good things… you're gonna have to make them happen when you come back. It'll give you a reason to visit."

"Are you saying I wouldn't visit?"

"I  _never_  said that."

"You're one of my best friends, Yuuka. You're basically part of the only family I have." Crow furrows his eyebrows a little, before they relax. "I know we disagree on a lot of things, but I still care about you a lot. I'm glad you came back into our lives. I don't know what we wouldn't have done without you."

"I'm sure if Yusei talked to Z-"

"No. That's not what I'm talking about, Yuuka." He shakes his head. "I'm talking about us,  _here_. Jack and I may act like all you do is get in our hair, but we're actually glad that we have you back. You've helped us out a lot since you got back. Hell, I don't know what we would have done if you didn't come back. I don't think Yusei could have lasted much longer, he was completely  _gone_." He scratches the back of his neck, he freezes a little when he looks at my face. "But, what's important is that you came back." He nods. "I'm glad Yusei never gave up on you."

"Me too." There's a pause of silence. "I'm gonna miss you, Crow. I mean it."

"I will too."

"Stop that, I'm gonna start crying." I pat my eyes in the hopes that I don't look like a crybaby. Crow chuckles. "You're making fun of me."

"You look how I feel." He pats the top of my head. "You're crying for the both of us."

"You're not incapable of crying like Jack is, you can't fool me." Crow breaks out into laughter. "But I'm serious, you're one of my best friends and I'm gonna miss you a whole lot. If you don't come back to visit me at least once a year, I'm personally going over to America to  _kick_  your ass. I'll beat your ass in a Riding Duel on live TV, watch me. I'll do it." I throw my arm around Crow's neck, giving him a noogie.

"I believe you, I believe you!" Crow tries to break out of it. "How about I let you come over sometime?"

"Nice accommodation?" I ask.

"You and Yusei can go on a nice road trip together."

"Sounds great." I release him and Crow glares at me slightly as he rubs the back of his neck.

"I feel like you're blackmailing me."

"I'm doing it out of love, I promise."

" _Sure._ " Crow drags out the word.

"I mean it!" I answer. "I don't want you to forget about us, okay?"

"Yuuka, come on." Crow shakes his head. "I know you have trust issues, but remember, I was your first ever friend and I'd never do that." He puts his fist to his chest, as if it's a matter of pride.

"Go on and pack, dweeb." I smack the back of his head. He says goodbye to me before going up the stairs.

* * *

By sunset, there's a row of immaculate-looking purple suitcases in the kitchen. No doubt who they belong to.

"Catch." I barely manage to catch the small suitcase that Jack practically throws at me from the top of the ladder.

"Some warning would be nice." I retort sarcastically.

"You're a psychic, you can deal with it." Jack answers, coming into the kitchen.

"That's not how that works and you know it."

"Whatever."

"Packed already?" I change the topic.

"Yeah, most of it has been for a while." Jack knew that he was leaving for months.

"So, you've said goodbye to Carly then, I assume?" I sigh.

"Of course, women are only a distraction." He turns towards me, looking quite serious. "If I'm to become King again, I need to do it alone."

"Did you… tell her that?" I blink slowly at him. The evening light streams in the window, hurting my eyes slightly.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?" I look at his face again. He's being completely serious.

"Why are you such an idiot!?" I start throwing punches in Jack's direction. He blocks most of them, with some hitting his chest. "Why would you say that? Do you realise what you've done?"

"Why do you think I'm an idiot?" Jack, realising that I've stopped throwing punches for the time being, crosses his arms. I think I'm the only person he'll listen to when it comes to this stuff.

"Why do you think?" I sigh, pressing my fingertips to my temples. "Lemme explain in the simplest way I can. Carly, the woman that  _you_  love. Carly, who's always supported you and stayed by your side. That's who you're leaving behind. Jack, she'd be more than willing to go with you to Europe. I thought we'd been over this. I thought you were done with keeping her at a distance for her sake. It's clear that you two love each other, and that you're ready for the next step. For the love of card games,  _go to her_  and tell her that. Jack, if you want to become King again,  _fine_. But please, realise that you can't do this alone. You need someone by your side. Carly would be very willing to be by your side, and  _let her_. Please, for once in your life, do the right thing."

There's silence. I see the dust particles floating in the air between us. Jack's mouth forms a hard line.

"I hate it when you're right," is all he says.

"At least someone's getting through to you." I sigh. "I can't believe you would  _actually_  leave her behind."

"Don't tell anyone about this." Jack's eyes suspiciously move towards the wall. "I-"

"Can't let people know that you're stupid?"

"Yuuka." He glares at me slightly.

"You know I'm right."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to miss you."

"Wow." I fake a gasp for dramatic effect. "Breaking news, Jack Atlas has emotions. Where's Carly when you need her?"

"Why are you like this?"

"Great question."

There's silence. We don't say anything, but I don't think we need to. Out of the guys, Jack was the closest thing I had to a brother. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, he agrees. He thinks of me as the sister he never had. He's always been too protective of me. He's been an asshole to me, just for the sake of it. We fought countless times over nothing, involving even more punches. There's no words we can say at this point. I feel like it would be pointless.

"I guess I'm leaving then, I suppose."

"Go get the girl, tiger." I chuckle.

"Don't." He shakes his head. "Just don't."

"Goodbye, Yuuka." He turns away from me, heading to the garage. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Jack." I chuckle to myself as I watch his retreating back.

* * *

I open the garage door when I come back from my jog, something my therapist is making me do everyday. I leave the large doors open to air it out. It's gotten quite stuffy lately. No one's been coming in and out as much, I suppose. I immediately feel Yusei's aura in the kitchen, and I smile. It makes me feel like I'm home. No matter where we end up going, as long as I'm by his side, I'm always home. Yusei hears me come in, so he comes downstairs.

"It's pretty empty in here, isn't it?" Yusei asks, looking around the room. He's spent most of the day sorting this room, so it's looking rather empty.

"It is," I sigh. I remember how this room was an important part in our early relationship. So it being empty now makes this whole experience feel like the end of an era.

"Are you staying here still?" I look at his sad face, trying to change the topic. "Now that we know that Jack and Crow are moving out."

"I'll stay here a while longer probably." He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm sure Zora won't mind. Though, I might have to get some new roommates."

"Ew," is all I say.

"That's exactly how I feel." He sighs.

I feel Aki's aura before she comes into the garage. She opens the front door without knocking, as usual.

"Yuuka, I'm glad I found you." She says, slightly out of breath.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Yusei pats my shoulder before returning to the kitchen. I blink rapidly, surprised at how fast he moved.

"You were looking for me?" I turn my attention to Aki, who's currently brushing the hair out of her face. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you properly before I leave." She walks down the ramp, stopping to look at the mostly empty bookshelves. "I figured it was right."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I feel a little uneasy suddenly.

"I just wanted to thank you, for everything." She turns around to look at me, and smiles. "You've done a lot for me, and I'm grateful for that."

"You don't need to thank me, anyone else would have done that." I shake my head.

"You're wrong. You were there for me when I really needed you." Aki steps forward a little, but she's still a few paces away from me. "I needed a friend, and you became that. Do you remember? I had never gone shopping with anyone my own age before." She chuckles.

"Now, you complain when we don't go." I laugh along with her. I remember how nervous she was. She pretended to be untouchable, but she was just a scared girl underneath. "You've come so far." I sigh at the memories. "It's hard to believe that you're the same person." I met her once as the Black Rose Witch. I doubt she knows that it was me, since I was wearing a mask. She tried to seriously injure, if not kill me. "You were so scary back then."

"You were just as bad!" Aki shakes her head. "You used to sit in the back of detention, looking like you wanted to murder everyone in the room. Then, next thing I hear about you is that you dropped out and joined a gang, then you nearly got murdered. I think that applies to you as much as it does to me."

"That's fair." I shrug my shoulders and laugh. "In fairness, you did get a lot better after dueling Divine. You kicked his ass, it was great. Like, any pride he had was  _gone_."

"You think so?" I nod, and she looks a little flustered. "I don't think I could have done it without you. I'm glad I asked you to come with me."

"And you didn't ask Yusei, that made me feel very flattered." I say that and Aki's eyes widen. "What?"

"Well, I had my reasons for that." She covers her mouth and clears her throat.

"You gotta tell me now!" I put my hands on my hips. "You can't say shit like that and not explain it."

"Well," she clears her throat again, "I  _may_ have had a tiny crush on you? It wasn't a huge thing, and I got over it pretty quickly since I knew I had no chance with you. But, that's why I asked you to come with me that time."

"That's why you asked me if I liked Yusei." I come to the sudden realisation. "I thought you liked Yusei, and that's why you asked me."

"No, I mean I was infatuated with him at some point." Aki sighs. "But that ended when I realised I was starting to rely on him like I did Divine. That was the end of that."

"You're grown so much, I'm proud of you." I moved slightly closer to her, she's about three paces away now. "I can't wait to see where you'll go from here. You'll be a great doctor."

"Thank you," she smiles brightly at me. "I should say the same to you. Who thought you would be leading a revolution? Not just inside the gang world, but in this entire City."

"Not me." I cackle slightly, Aki gives me a look. "I suppose this is its own revolution, isn't it? I'll be changing the lives of thousands of psychics and Satellites for the better."

"I wonder how much this City is going to change when I'm gone." Aki sighs, before regaining her composure. "I'm afraid I'll come back and I won't recognise my hometown. I want my children to experience the best possible version of this City, but I still want it to be the same."

"It will never change." I turn around so I see the twinkling lights outside the garage door. "The heart of this City will keep beating. The times and the people will change, but it will remain the same. Don't be afraid. Leave, chase your dreams. Yusei and I will always be here, watching over our home. When you come back, we'll be waiting for you."

"Yuuka…" Aki mutters. I move towards her again, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"I know you're scared, but I need you to put your head up. You've dealt with worse things before. You've saved the world twice after all, how bad could medical school be?" Aki's eyes move like she's admitting that I'm right. "You'll be okay, you'll come home one day. Until then, I need you to smile. Nothing can faze you if you're wearing that smile of yours. It's when you look the best."

There's silence. Aki's eyes move around my face, as if she's taking everything in. She is. This is how she wants to remember my face. Smiling, full of hope. She finally nods.

"I need to get going." She says, suddenly snapping back into reality. "I'll see you tomorrow for the send off."

"Yeah, get some rest." I chuckle. "You'll need it." Aki moves towards the ramp so she can leave. She looks back towards me. She tackles me into a hug.

"I'll miss you, Yuuka." She whispers into my shoulder.

"I'll miss you too." I pat the top of her head. She steps back from me. There's a pause as she stares at my face again. "Goodbye, Aki."

"It's not goodbye, Yuuka." She shakes her head. "It's  _until we meet again_."

"I'll see you later then?" I chuckle. Aki waves at me before walking onto the ramp. I hear footsteps and feel Crow's aura approaching.

"Crow!" Aki exclaims. I turn around to see Crow putting his hand on the wall, out of breath.

"Okay, I caught you in time." Crow waves his hand as he tries to catch his breath. "I thought I had missed you. But no, I'm good, you're still here."

"So, I'm gonna let you two talk." I point my fingers at me, swinging them around to point at the other. "I'm gonna go… do something."

I practically sprint up the stairs and into the kitchen. Yusei's sitting on the loveseat, waiting for me. His posture straightens up when he sees me.

"How did that go?" He asks as I take a seat beside him.

"It was nice." I sigh, slumping my shoulders. The reality of saying goodbye to everyone is starting to kick in. "Crow's down there with her now."

"Place your bets now."

"They're gonna kiss."

"That's wishful thinking." Yusei shakes his head. "You know what they're like."

"We'll see what happens." I lean into Yusei, who wraps his arm around my waist. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know," he answers honestly.

"That's fair." I reach forward and grab two journals and a pen off the coffee table. My therapist told me to start journals. She said that in order to separate the other Yuuka from myself, I need to remember what's mine and what's hers. I have all of her memories, but the line between mine and hers is blurred. She told me to get two notebooks and in each notebook, write down what memories belong to who. I've filled up about a third of each notebook. I'm telling her story piece by piece.

"Are you going to write some more?" Yusei asks, leaning back into the corner of the loveseat, pulling him with him.

"Might as well." I open up the notebook with my memories. "I was thinking of writing about my memories today. I wanna make sure I remember them, y'know." Yusei doesn't say anything, but nods. I find the last page where I wrote. It's telling the story of how my psychic powers materialised. I wrote the other Yuuka's version of the story in the other notebook too.

"What are you writing about today?"

"How I met everyone." I click the pen, pink ink of course.

"Okay, start telling me, go." Yusei and I do this together. I try and tell the story to him while I write it down. I feel like I can articulate it better that way. He corrects me on some small details, mostly because having that many memories inside one head isn't good for that. "You, me, Jack and Crow."

"Lemme see." I tap the pen against my chin. "I had just arrived at Martha's. She tried to introduce me to everyone, but I was too shy. Jack was the tallest out of everyone, so I saw him first. Martha went to cook dinner, and I tried to follow her. She wouldn't let me because she wanted me to talk to the other kids, so I stood next to the kitchen in the hall. Crow came up to me and asked me if I liked dueling. When I nodded, he dragged me by the arm to the dining room table and made me duel him. I was really bad so you tried to help me. I still lost though, I think I drew a bad card. I have a bad habit of doing that, now that I think about it. Crow kept pulling me along. He introduced me to you and Jack properly. I remember Jack said that Crow wasn't his friend, but it was obvious that he was lying. Then, Martha made us take the cards off the table for dinner. Yeah, that's the main chunk of it. Wait, you helped me make a card combo after dinner. That was the first time that it was just us two."

"Yeah, that's right." Yusei nods. "You sat between Crow and I during dinner. You ate like you haven't seen food in weeks."

"You're not  _wrong._ " I answer. "My mother died a few weeks before Martha found me. I had been living off small rolls of practically rotten bread, thrown away at the end of the day in the market. I need to write that down. Remind me tomorrow to write about Martha finding me."

"Okay," he kisses the top of my head. "Next, tell me about how you met Aki."

"Right," I turn the page of the journal since the last story took up most of the page. "I was in Duel Academy. I hadn't been there long, so I was about fourteen. I think Mr. Perlow sent me to detention for… not wearing my necktie? He said that, but I think it's because I have a marker, to be honest. I'd heard rumours of someone in the school who was a psychic duelist. They had blown a hole in the roof of a dueling arena. It's then that I learnt what a psychic was. I mean, we had heard about them in the Satellite, but there wasn't a name for them. In detention, I always sat in the back of the room, in the corner. Aki walked in and sat in the front row, three seats away from the door. She always sat there. I figured out quite quickly that she was the psychic. I always felt bad for her, but I never said anything. We sat together in more detentions than I can count. Then, I found out that I'm a psychic and dropped out of school. Aki did attack me once as the Black Rose Witch though, but since I was also wearing a mask, she didn't recognise me. I finally met her again here, and now she's one of my best friends."

"I didn't know that." Yusei hums.

"Which part?"

"She attacked you."

"It's a small world." I shrug my shoulders. "I became friends with Takumi, not knowing he was a gang leader so there's that."

"I suppose."

"I'm guessing you want me to write about the twins now?" Yusei nods, so I turn another page. "Well, technically the first time I met them was at Saiga's place. I was looking for you, but I found them. They said you were in the Satellite, so I went too. But let's not talk about that right now. I saw them again in the Satellite. They were with you, but let's skip over that. Then, they walked in with Aki after Black Flag fell, and that's that."

"They told me that you were looking for me then." Yusei comments. "I just assumed you went missing like everyone else." He sighs. I haven't wrote about my time as a Dark Signer yet. I know for a fact those memories are mine, and not the other Yuuka's. But still, they're not exactly memories that I want to drag up.

"Okay, we're changing the subject." I say, closing the journal. "Tomorrow, I want to write about the WRGP." The other Yuuka entered a tournament similar to the WRGP, so I want to separate those memories in my head.

"Yeah," Yusei nods his head. "We'll have plenty of time to do that." He flicks through the pages of the journals with my memories. "I want you to write about the time we stayed up all night on the roof of the Team Satisfaction base."

"Yeah, I can do that-"

"And the time we danced in the rain."

"Isn't that when you fell for me?"

"Yeah, and also the time we started dating."

"You just want me to write about you."

"You're not wrong." He chuckles. "I just like it when you write about me, since you always talk about the important things."

"That's cute." I chuckle along with him. We turn to look at the stairs when we hear the garage door close. I notice the lack of Aki's aura downstairs, and Crow's becoming almost overwhelming. His feet thunder up the stairs.

"Oh my gods!" He exclaims, once he gets into the kitchen. "She kissed me." His hands cover most of his face.

"Told you," I immediately turn to smirk at Yusei. "But was that your first kiss?" I ask Crow, who's just pacing very fast around the kitchen.

"Nah," Yusei answers for him. "His first kiss was Kiryu."

"Wasn't your first kiss Kiryu too?"

"Yeah, and?" I squint at Yusei. I notice from the corner of my eye that Crow's stopped pacing and, instead, is leaning on the desk across from us.

"Was I the only person not to kiss Kiryu? Why?" I shake my head. "Wait, nevermind, that man is as gay as a Christmas tree." I look back to Crow. "Continue."

"It was my first kiss with a girl." Crow takes a shaky, deep breath. "She kissed me, and told me that she wants to try long distance."

"Oh wow, that's amazing!" I gasp.

"I know." Crow nods his head slowly in disbelief. "I'm gonna go lie on my bed and scream for a while."

"Have fun." Yusei says as Crow goes upstairs.

"And you said nothing would happen." I turn to Yusei again, smirking.

"You didn't expect that either, so shut up."

"You're just salty that I was right." I grin to myself.

We stay there, just talking, until we look over at the little timer on the oven and it says that it's two in the morning.

"We should probably go to sleep, or something, it's getting pretty late." I sigh.

"I don't want to sleep." Yusei answers. "I know it sounds weird, but I want to take in the City while everyone is still here. It's my last chance to feel the air before they all leave. I want to remember it."

"I suppose you've got a point there." I curl my legs up to my chest. "Do you want to go for a walk then? If so, I want to take a shower and change."

"Yeah, I'll wait here."

Once I'm out of the shower and I dry my hair, I throw on a plain pink shirt, with a small pocket on the chest, with some black skinny jeans. Yusei's exactly where I left him, staring at the ceiling. If his eyes weren't open, I would say that he was sleeping.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Yep," he stands up and I grab his hand. We walk out of the garage, and keep going straight. We're silent for the most part. Without asking each other, we somehow end up where we saw the Ark Cradle disappear. It seems crazy that I tried to throw myself off these rails nearly six months ago. I never told Yusei where my suicide attempt happened, but I don't dare bring it up now.

Yusei places both of his hands on the railings and takes a deep breath. I stand beside him, overlooking our City. Even at such a late hour, the lights are still so bright. This City never sleeps, and to be fair, neither do I.

"I wish I could tell everyone to stay," He says after a long period of silence, "but I know I can't. Everyone choose their own path. They're taking responsibility for their own futures. I know that our bonds will never break, but I still can't help but be sad."

"I'm staying." I lean on the railings, my shoulder grazing against his arm.

"You chose your own path too." He hangs his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I remember when I first met you, you were so fragile. Like anything could break you. I felt like I had to protect you, and that's what I did. I knew if you joined Team Satisfaction, you'd only get hurt. When I met you again in the City, I thought the same thing. You always seem so scared and alone. I thought that I could fix it. You seemed so wrapped up in this whole gang thing, and then the whole Z-One thing. I thought I would lose you again. But then, you showed me. You proved that you're a capable woman. I don't need to protect you anymore." He turns to look at me. "All I need to do is support you."

"Thank you." I smile brightly, while squinting slightly because of the glare from the City lights. "It means a lot." Yusei nods.

"Now, you've chosen your own path." He continues. "You recognise what can be done better in this City, and you're working to change it. You've changed thousands of lives for the better, and you're not even done. You're joining the latest wave of Police recruits. I'm proud of you." I'm getting flustered so I just nod. "I'm going to follow you, because I've realised something."

Yusei hops up onto the railings. My heart jumps in my chest. I go to say something, but stop when he holds his hand out for me. I take it, trusting him, and jump onto the railings. We stand there, looking over our City, holding hands.

"We are this City, Yuuka." He keeps his eye firmly fixed on me. "We've put everything we have into this City. I'm going to make Neo Domino City a place that we can be proud of. I'm going to go to university  _and_  build that Moment framework. I want to find a way to stop that future from ever happening."

"Yeah," I answer, "let's do it together."

"Like we'd have it any other way." There's a comfortable silence for a few seconds. "Yuuka, I have something to ask."

"Why are we still up here? Cause I'm wondering that." Yusei sighs and jumps down off the railings, back onto solid ground. Not the solid concrete a long way down.

"It wasn't that." He shakes his head, offering his hand to me. I smile, and take it.

"What is it then?"

"Well," he takes a deep breath. This is a bit worrying. This could be anything. He leans his forearms on the railings again. "Since Jack and Crow are moving out, I'll be alone in Poppo Time. Zora said that the rent will still be free for me, but I might get some roommates. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound ideal."

"So?" I blink slowly, I think I know what's coming next.

"Yuuka, we should move in together." My brain can barely process his words. "I know what you're thinking, but listen. I got a lot of money between the WRGP winnings and the cash prize from the Key to the City. The money you got from Raiden is still sitting under my mattress. That's enough to, at least, put down a deposit for an apartment. Admittedly, I've been looking into some apartments. I found one within our price range that's in walking distance from the university. If you say no, that's-"

"That sounds perfect." I'm smiling and I feel the tears burning my eyes. "That's… I would love that." Yusei's face breaks into this great smile.

"I'm glad." He sighs in relief. "I was wondering what you would say."

"I would never say no." I brush my shoulder against his. "Besides, we've practically been living together since we started dating."

"I mean, you're not wrong."

"Idiot." I chuckle. "Will we start heading back?"

"Not yet." He stares at the City lights straight on. I can't help but feel like there's a question that he's not asking, but I don't press him. "I just want to take everything in."

"Okay," I wiggle my arm under his, linking them together. "I'll wait."

* * *

After pulling yet another all nighter with Yusei, I head over to Kasumi's house to move the last of my things over to Yusei's- no,  _our_ place. We decided that until we find our own apartment, I would just live at Poppo Time. Not much is left here, I realise when I open the wardrobe. I had brought most of it over to Yusei's, and didn't bring it back.

"I should have seen this coming," Kasumi sighed when I told her.

I start throwing clothes and everything in the drawers into boxes that I found lying around. It's amazing how little I have here, despite the fact that I technically lived here for nearly a year. I manage to get everything into three medium-sized boxes and two trash bags. My sewing machine would have to get moved over later. I put the boxes outside of my old bedroom door. I pause, noticing similar, albeit bigger, boxes in front of Kaoru's door. His door opens.

"What are you-" He goes to ask, but changes the question. "You too?"

"Moving out, yeah."

"Yep, hard to believe that you're doing it too."

"Moving in with Takumi after, what, six months?" I shake my head. Yusei and I have been dating for nearly a year already.

"Apparently, not-straight couples move faster." He shrugs his shoulders. "That's what Takumi told me. I've heard for queer women that it's even faster."

"So, Emiko and Anako will be married by the end of the year then?" I laugh to myself.

"I don't know." He leans on the doorframe, not getting the joke. I just roll my eyes.

"Nevermind."

"Hey, Yuuka…" Kaoru says, rather timidly. So, I meet his eyes and nod. "I just wanted to thank you. I know it sounds weird, but everything good in my life now is because of you."

"What do you mean?" I blink slowly.

"I mean, before I found you again, Emiko was my only friend." He sighs. "Then, I met Shinji, Reika, Anako, and everyone else. I met  _Takumi_  because of you. I know what I actually want to do in life now, and I'm going for it. We're off to Police Academy in a few weeks. My life has, literally, changed for the better because of you, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough for it."

"Don't thank me." I shake my head. "You came into my life when I needed it too. You're the best brother anyone could ask for, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

"C'mere." Kaoru stretches out his arm, demanding a hug. He walks across the landing, and pulls me into a hug. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too, big guy." I respond. "It's almost like the end of an era, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he mutters.

"Hey." Kasumi comes marching up the stairs. "Are you two having a nice family moment without me?"

"I think so," Kaoru answers.

"I can't believe that you're both moving out on the same day." Kasumi shakes her head. "I have to get another cat to replace you."

"Mrs. Whiskers needs a friend." I say as said cat rubs its head against my leg.

"Agreed." She laughs. "But, make sure you visit me now. I know that you two love your boyfriends very much, so it might be hard, but please, make an effort."

"Sure thing, mom." I laugh it off. Both Kaoru and Kasumi's heads whip around to look at me. "I mean, Kasumi."

"No, no, no, no! You called me  _mom_." Tears are already spilling from Kasumi's eyes. She pulls me into a hug, her tears dripping into my light pink shirt. "I can't believe you called me mom. You've never said that before. You always called me by my name, I can't believe it." I look towards Kaoru who's smiling. He's wanted me to call Kasumi my mother for years, something about resembling a normal, happy family.

"Okay  _mom_ , I have to get going. I'm saying goodbye to my friends." I pat her on the shoulders so she stops holding me in a death grip. I called her mom again, I realise. I'm not as against using it as I used to be. It makes her happy, so I might as well keep it up. "I'll be back for the boxes later."

"Ah yes, have fun baby!" Kasumi calls out as I jogging down the stairs and into the garage to my D-Wheel.

* * *

I arrive back in the Poppo Time garage. Jack and Crow's D-Wheels are gone. They told us last night that they would probably just meet up with us when everyone else is. Yusei's lying on the couch, still awake from what I can read in his aura.

"How did packing go?" Yusei asks as I take my helmet off.

"I managed to make Kasumi cry, but aside from that, good." I throw my knee and elbow pads on the desk.

"How did you do that exactly?"

"I called her mom by accident."

"That makes sense." He puts an arm out, inviting to lie on the couch beside him.

"I'm going to miss this couch." I say, feeling the all-too-familiar material underneath me as I lie down. "It's important."

"We started dating on this couch." I feel Yusei nodding beside me. "The only thing we haven't done on this couch is bang on it."

"That can be arranged."

"What?"

" _What_?"

"I'm just going to ignore that comment because we have to leave soon. Also, because that hasn't happened yet." Yusei checks the time on his phone, which I can't see, and moves to get up, taking me with him.

"I'm demisexual, it's part of the package."

"True," he answers. "I'm changing into my old riding gear for nostalgia sake, feel free to do the same."

"You just like how my ass looks in that suit."

"You're not wrong, but I am thinking about the whole gesture of it here."

Once I've changed into my riding suit, I sit on my D-Wheel for a few minutes, just thinking. This is the last time I'll leave this garage and meet up with my friends. But there's a bright future waiting for all of them. I have Yusei by my side, and that's all that matters. I stretch out my arm towards Yusei. He interweaves his fingers with mine.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too."

Everything's going to be okay, I keep repeating to myself. Knowing my friends are going out there and shaping their own futures makes me happier than anything, I'm so proud of them. Now, I'm doing the same with my boyfriend, who I love more than anything, at my side. As long as he's there, I'll be ready for whatever life throws at me.

I look at Yusei, who stares right back at me. We nod at each other and set off.

We meet everyone else on the highway. We line up our D-Wheels, or Duel Boards in the case of the twins, and stare at each other for a few moments. We take in this moment. This is how I'm going to remember my friends.

And I'm okay with that. Perfectly happy, even.

"Here we go, everyone! This is our last run!" Yusei calls out, and we take off. I can feel the strength of everyone's determination in their auras. I pray that their strength guides me, and I do the same for them.

I hear the Crimson Dragon roar. I look up as it flies over our heads, matching our pace.

"The Crimson Dragon?" I hear Yusei ask.

Everyone's marks begin to light up. I look at Yusei's arm. The mark starts to hover over his arm, before turning into a red ball of light and soaring up to the Crimson Dragon, who absorbs it. I look around, everyone's marks are doing the same.

The Crimson Dragon roars one final time. My vision goes white for a second. I'm no longer on my D-Wheel but there's wind still blowing in my face. In front of me is the other Yuuka, she's smiling. Z-One,  _no_ \- Her Yusei appears behind her. Another figure appears between us. It's the figure of a young girl with short black hair. I can't make out who she is, but seeing her makes me feel at ease. Everything starts to fade back to the real world.

"Crimson Dragon, you finished your mission." I hear Yusei say, as I come back to reality.

Yusei accelerates and I follow. I stop just ahead of him. He raises his hand for a high-five, and I do the same. Jack passes, high-fiving both of us. Then, Crow, Aki, and finally the twins. They pass. Yusei and I watch them as they drive on. They each take a different fork in the road. Yusei and I sit there as we watch them get further and further away. Then, they're gone.

I turn back and look at Yusei, who smiles back at me. He peels off his right glove, baring his arm to me. The Signer mark is gone. I take one of my gloves off and intertwine my fingers with his.

Here is where my future starts. This exact moment. I'm no longer bound to the things that shackled me in the past. No gangs, no ancient wars, no alternative-future selves. No allegiance to an old deity who expects you to protect the world. I get to live, as myself, with my boyfriend. Nothing will stop us, from now until forever. It's as Yusei says, we take charge of our own destinies. I want a better future, for me, for Yusei, for us, for everyone. I will grasp it with my own hands. One day at a time. With Yusei by my side, forever and always.

ACT III ACCEPTANCE END


	90. Carry On - EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

Dear Yuuka Hattori,

It's been two years since the Ark Cradle first fell into my sky. I know this because of a newspaper clipping that I have. There's a photo of Yusei and I, with the biggest smiles on our faces. Kasumi saved it for us. It's in a photo frame in our apartment, I look at it every morning as I get ready. It almost seems like yesterday that you told me to save myself, and that's what I did. I work hard every single day to prevent your, and your Yusei's, bad future. My therapist told me to write this letter to you. Closure, that's what she called it. I think my therapy sessions are coming to an end, something which both scares me and excites me. She told me to go through everything that's happened since you left us, and go from there. I wrote another letter to you after my friends left to go chase their own futures, so I'll just start from there.

Yusei managed to get one hundred percent on his entrance exam. So, naturally, he got accepted into his Applied Physics course. Surprisingly, he shared a Math class with Kenta in first year, even though Kenta's studying Computer Science. The two get on really well. I was amazed that I hadn't thought of it before. Then, as everyone predicted, Yusei ranked first in his class at the end of the year. Of course, this may have been because the university let his work on the Antinomy project count as credits towards his grade. The project finished during his first summer in university, so naturally, that gave his grades a huge boost. Jaeger insisted that the Moment framework be in place as soon as possible. Anything to stop the bad future Z-One spoke of, that's what he said. Every day that passes makes the bad future seem further away than before. Does that mean one day I'll wake up and your memories will seem impossible to me, even though sometimes they still feel like my own? I hope so.

Even though I wasn't sure to begin with, I love my job. Waking up, putting on that police uniform, going out and actually making a difference in people's lives. It really helps me get up in the morning. Kaoru and I, to no one's surprise, ended up working in the same division. We're known for our rivalry, and being overly enthusiastic. Our supervisors actually tell people to be more like us. We simultaneously landed a promotion last year, not even a year into the job. Our goal is to get the next promotion before the other one does. Considering there's rumours about an open position, we'll see about our bet. I hope we both get the promotion again honestly. Our telepathy really helps on the job. Someone cracked the  _are you two psychics or something_  joke the other day. We just laughed it off.

Kaoru and I visit Kasumi at least once a week. She got that second cat, named Sir Fluffykins. It was named by me, of course. A name that spectacular could only come from someone like me. We even bring Yusei and Takumi over for dinner sometimes, which is nice. Somehow, Kaoru joining the Police made things better between him and our dad. He's still surprised that his fiancee  _and_  both of his children are police officers now. I see Nancy at work all the time. She's started planning their wedding, and asks me for help. She's making me the flower girl, for some reason. I agreed to do it on one condition, that Kaoru was the ringbearer. I was surprised that she said yes. Kaoru was too, especially since he was in earshot of the whole thing.

Shinji proposed to Reika with the ring that we picked out, at the place on the harbour where he first asked her out. She said yes, as expected. Their wedding was last month. I was the best wo _man_ , of course. I got to wear this great black tux with a red bowtie, and my hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. Yusei loved it. To be fair, I think all of my friends did too. Though, I did have to deal with Takumi bitching about why he should have been the best man. Mainly, y'know, cause he is a man. To which Shinji replied, that I wasn't exactly a girl to begin with. I never felt more valid, to be honest. Raiden  _unfortunately_ made an appearance at the wedding. But  _thankfully_ , he disappeared once I accidently broke a wine glass, or two,  _or three_. I haven't spoken with him since the Key to the City ceremony, and I'm hoping not to again. If he even attempts to make an appearance at my wedding, I swear I will  _actually_  murder him this time. It's not like Yusei's proposed or anything, but y'know, everyone's waiting for it, especially me. Every single one of my friends is convinced that I'm gonna be the next one to get married. My bet's on Kaoru, but no one listens to me. Yusei knows he wants to marry me, he tells me everyday. But I feel like, at this point, I'm going to be the one to propose.

Thankfully, for my sanity, Anako is still in the City, which means weekly brunches with glasses of wine. She's studying to become a teacher in Neo Domino. Her placements are in Duel Academy of all places. She was Reika's maid of honour at the wedding, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. Emiko's off in Europe for her dueling league, apparently it's very close to Aki's university. So, those two aren't  _completely_  alone over there. It's a thirty minute drive, I think, so it could be a lot worse.

Shinji and Reika finally opened their garage. Reika's the head mechanic, while Shinji runs the business end of it. Miguel works there as a mechanic too. Yusei and Miguel also ended up becoming friends through Kenta. We've formed a little friend group, and have gone on many double dates at this point. Kenta and I usually just stare at our boyfriends lovingly as they talk about D-Wheels for hours, even though we don't understand a thing they say.

Speaking of Kenta, him and Takumi are back on speaking terms after their messy breakup, this is all thanks to Kaoru. He couldn't deal with going backwards and forwards between the two of them anymore. Kenta and Takumi can now be in the same room without going for each other's throats,  _a concept_. Kenta has finally come to terms with Kaoru and Takumi being a thing. He just says that he wouldn't have Miguel if it weren't for Takumi. I think he's also doing it for Kaoru's sake more than anything else. He was quite close with Kaoru before the whole  _end of Team Liberation_  thing, so I think it's an attempt to get back to that.

As strange as it sounds, I think Takumi has snuck his way back into my group of close friends. I don't exactly know how he did it. It's probably the fact that I can hear Kaoru's thoughts. He's just so fond of Takumi that it's probably starting to rub off on me,  _a little_. He's like a bad rash that keeps coming back, eventually you just have to learn to live with it. Shinji, Takumi and I have formed a little close-knit group. We even have a group chat named  _Bad Decisions and Tequila Squad_ , it's very important. It also never shuts up. I can't cuddle my boyfriend without having fifty notifications going off. We have a routinely one night out in Psycho a month, much to the chagrin of Reika, Kaoru and Yusei. This is probably because we all normally come home drunk and very loud. One time we didn't come home at all, but we try not to bring that up. There's a reason why Tequila is in the name of the chat.

All my friends have gone on to do so many amazing things that I feel like  _at least_  half my friends are famous by now. From Crow, Jack, and Emiko being in dueling leagues, to Ben from the Cardinal Dragons becoming a famous drag queen with a reality TV show win. Even Felix from the Red Serpents is working for Neo Domino City University on a cure for some rare genetic disease. Apparently, Yusei and Kenta ran into him in the canteen since he's doing a postgraduate programme there. They all have lunch together every now and again. Of course, there is the fact that Yusei and I are still,  _technically_ , famous. Even now, two years after, I still get stopped in the streets. I've had to kiss the heads of  _so many_  babies, they tell me that it's good luck. I honestly think it's a load of shit. Sometimes I wish this little bubble of fame that surrounds Yusei and I would finally pop. While having heads turn around every time we're in public makes me feel special. I sometimes wish I could make it all stop, even for a few minutes, but I know what my job is and I'm gonna see it through till the end. I know why I took on this responsibility. That bad future must be stopped. Everyday, I encourage the people of this City to do their best to prevent it from happening.

I visited Crow last year with Yusei. I brought him a new set of earrings to wear instead of those nasty bolts that started rusting. Bullets, he started laughing as soon as he saw them. I will  _never_  let the nickname  _Crow the Bullet_  die, even when he's old and grey. Apparently, Aki had been over the week before us. They've been going steady since they both left the City. I think even now, eighteen-ish months later, Crow is still in shock about the whole situation. They've been thrown into the guesses of who's getting married next. Kaoru thinks that they'll get married before Yusei and I. They're both people who want to settle down eventually, he said. Implying that I'm not ready, and I suppose he's right. The idea of having kids has always been appealing to me, just not right now. I want to feel safe in my future before I could even think of raising a child.

Speaking of not wanting to settle down, Jack is still off dueling in Europe. Carly's there. They're  _finally_  dating, only because Carly got sick of waiting for Jack to ask. Everyone agrees that they'll be married last with the most elaborate wedding in history. Jack's doing well in his league, and that's all he cares about at the current moment.

Aki and the twins are studying hard. Apparently, in her first week of living abroad, Aki called Crow at four in the morning, his time, asking how to work the washing machine. The twins hit puberty in the meantime, and I'm thinking they're going to be taller than Yusei and I. It's really strange. It feels just like yesterday that I could rest my arm comfortably on their heads.

Yusei and I are still making rounds, visiting everyone when we have the time. Jack is still as difficult as usual to get a hold of. We might as well just go and visit Carly at this point, and catch Jack off guard. It's nice getting to see the world. It's what I've always wanted to do, and I'm actually getting the chance now. Our next visit is Kiryu in Satisfaction Town, we know that. Then, Bommer in Peru. Then, Jack in Italy. I feel so  _free_. I never thought I would feel this way. After years stuck in the Satellite, then in the City under Raiden's thumb, then under all that responsibility of having to save the world. Now I get to do whatever I want. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and walk around in the bright lights of the City, just because I can. This City is mine, and I have all of the freedom in the world.

But still, I always look forward to coming home. To Yusei. We took the couch in the garage with us when we moved out, so yes, we've really have done everything on that couch. I just get to sit there with him. He normally studies while I read a book on my ever-growing list. We sit there in the quiet, just enjoying each other's company. This will never change. No matter what happens around us now, I know that he will always be there.

I can't imagine my life without him, honestly. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I think about what would have happened without Yusei in my life. I struggle to think of anything. He's been such an integral part of my life that, without him, I would feel empty. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be. I used to be cautious about the idea of soulmates. It sounded completely implausible to me. Someone who you chased through every lifetime in the hopes of being with them. Someone that you're destined to be with, no matter what. I wake up every morning and look at Yusei's face, in  _our_ apartment. And that idea could never have sounded more right. Knowing that I have chased Yusei across two lifetimes, and gods know how many more, it helps me feel at ease. It lets me know that I won't lose him. Even if, for some reason, I do, I can merely find him in another one. I know we're soulmates. Why else would he keep appearing in my life? We knew each other as babies, we met again in the Satellite. I disappeared in the Satellite, he found me in the City. He thought I was dead, but he still found me when I needed him most. He's saved me many times, but I've saved him just as many. I love him more than anything. Knowing I'll spend the rest of my life with him makes me even happier than I ever thought possible.

If you had asked me the day before the Fortune Cup, the place where this all began, what I wanted most in my life. I would have told you that I wanted to be  _normal_. That's what I wanted for the longest time honestly. I thought about it every  _single_  day. No gangs, no ancient wars, no Satellite, or no alternate futures. Waking up normal would have been my dream come true.

Not anymore.

There's no such thing as normal. I've heard people claim this all of the time. I've meet so many people in my short lifetime. Everyone's got their own things to deal with. It might not be something as big as saving the world from an apocalyptic future, or dealing with memories of another lifetime. But dealing with gangs, loss, breaking up with your boyfriend, finding another one, finding out that you're biromantic, having someone treat you like absolute shit, being bullied, having anxiety, being depressed, being a psychic, being from the Satellite, and being marked, just to name  _a few_. Even existing in this hellscape of a world that we call home. We all have shit to deal with. Stuff that hundreds, thousands, millions of people deal with everyday. I am not normal, and I never will be. But the thing is, no one is normal. Normal doesn't exist. We're all fucked up in our own special ways. I've come to peace with it, accepted it even.

Regardless of what the future may hold, I will still be here. I will step forward with my best foot everyday. I will fight every day like it will decide everyone's futures. With Yusei at my side, we will prevent the bad future from which you came. We won't stop until we've secured the best future for us. Maybe then, we can retire to a big house in the suburbs, and live that perfect storybook life with the pitter-patter of tiny feet on the stairs. Until then, you and your Yusei will stay in my thoughts. You give me such strength. I spend every second with Yusei like I won't get another. I know that my existence is only fleeting, so I've got to make every second of it count. I love Yusei more than anything else. I want the best future for  _us_ , for everyone. So, until I know the future is safe, I'll carry on.

Forever yours,

Yuuka Hattori-Sasaki.

WAKING UP NORMAL END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Waking Up Normal! I just want to thank everybody who's ever read this fic, and everyone who's ever reviewed. Special shoutout to my girlfriend, ActualNerdlord whom I love very much, who was responsible for motivating me to finish the fic, editing my incoherent babble when she has the time, and making some important story decisions (see: Kaoru and Takumi's relationship, that was her fault). Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten this far without her. It's taken 7 years to get to this point, and it's been a lot of hard work. I hope you've enjoying reading my fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> If you still need your dose of 5D's OC fic, ActualNerdlord is in the middle of planning her own fic which should be appearing on Fanficition.Net soon. I recommend following her so you know when it's up! I've seen her plans and I'm so excited to read the finished project. If you need something a bit more urgently, then I recommend EibonVirgo's To Be Human, also on Fanfiction.Net. It's another YuseixOC that's very engaging, it looks at a different side of psychics in the 5D's!verse.
> 
> As for my own work, once this chapter goes up, I'll start posting a series of oneshots on Fanfiction.Net called WUN: Among the Stars. The oneshots will be about the Waking Up Normal cast, they'll range over lots of time periods and from the point of view of different characters. If you want to see anything in particular in the oneshots, I'm always open for suggestions. On my Fanfiction.Net profile, there's a poll about people's favourite characters in Waking Up Normal. Each character that gets enough votes in the poll will get their own oneshots. So, if you're interested, go and check it out!
> 
> Once the oneshots are all finished up, I'll be done with the huge Waking Up Normal project. Then, I'll be moving onto another 5D's project. If you've paid attention to what hints I've left inside Waking Up Normal, you'll have a fair idea of what it is.
> 
> But that's all from me. Thank you for reading Waking Up Normal, and I hope to see you again for my future projects!


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